Double Life? Make it Triple
by Honorary Viral
Summary: Annabeth Chase was forced into gang life at the age of seven. Now, at seventeen, her life seems to be as good as gang life can get. But when a Half-Blood beats her in a fight, her life starts to go downhill. Can she put her past behind her, or will it get the best of her?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

 **Hey guys! This is my second fanfic, and it's a new sorta style of writing for me, so I don't know how great it'll be. Feedback is welcome, and if you want me to keep updating this, let me know.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson, or any of the other characters.**

Yo. I'm Annabeth. Annabeth Chase. The perfect student during the day, one of the most lethal killers in all of Manhattan at night. You're probably confused, so let's go back to the day it all began.

I hopped off the bus, and slipped my phone into my pocket. I was admiring the gardens as I strolled by, when I heard a scream.

Now, kids, if you hear a mysterious scream in the middle of the day, I suggest you run. Anythings better than the fate I received for pursuing it.

But I flew down the street, towards the source. I spun a hard left, and kept sprinting. Another scream. I vaguely remembered my mom telling me about this part of town. Not a good place to be. But right then, I didn't care. As I was approaching, something ticked in my mind. The scream was familiar. I burst into the alley, and my eyes widened.

"Mom?" A short, muscular guy in around his late twenties was pressing a knife against my moms throat. A small trickle of blood was making its way down her neck. I stifled a sob, and mustered the most terrifying glare I could, aiming it at the guy.

"Let her go."

"Ah, on one condition. We could always use strong members," he said. I filled wity dread. I had seen the bandana peeking out of his pocket.

"You want me to join your gang," I said dully. He grinned.

"Smart, Luke'll appreciate that. Anyway, the Titans are recruiting, and you seem like an eligible candidate," he explained. The Titans. One of the most renowned gangs in Manhattan. He held out a black and blue bandana. I eyed it hesitantly. He dug his knife deeper into my moms neck. I reached out and snatched the bandana. He smiled wickedly.

"Meet me back here at ten. Don't be late!" And that was how my gang career began.

I walked down the street, eyes darting cautiously. I was pretty sure the only reason I hadn't been attacked was because of the bandana around my wrist, showing my connection to the Titans. I rounded the corner in the alley, and heard faint cheering. Heading slowly toward the noise, I crept forward, peering around the brick wall. A group of about thirty was gathered in the small alleyway. A dark haired guy with an eye patch spotted me almost immediately.

"Yo, Luke! Looks like we got an outsider!" He yelled. A tall blonde guy stood up. He looked a few years older than me, and had an aura of confidence. I had no doubt that this was the leader of the Titans.

"Ah, our newest recruit, everybody! What's your name?" He asked. I wasn't sure if he was being sincere or cruel. And usually I'm very good at reading people.

"Annabeth. Annabeth Chase," I told him. Luke nodded thoughtfully, eyeing me.

"Well, Chase, welcome to the Titans."

Ten years later

I strutted down the sidewalk, loosening my tie and unbuttoning my shirt a tad as I went. I tugged my dark wig loose, and my curly blonde hair fell over my shoulders. I rolled my skirt up a few inches and applied some red lipstick. Lastly, I tied my bandana around my wrist. There. No one would recognize good girl extraordinaire Annabeth.

As I walked past, a few people flinched out of my way. I hid my smirk. I'd grown into my role as a Titan pretty well, and had even started to enjoy being part of the gang. I was respected, envied, feared. The bandana around my forearm gave me power. I glanced to my right, and saw a couple of teenagers leaning against a wall. I noted the purple bandanas around their wrists. SPQR. See, in Manhattan, there were five major gangs: the Titans, SPQR, the Hunters, the Amazons and the Half-Bloods. The Titans were at war with the Half-Bloods. The Half-Bloods were at war with SPQR. The Hunters and Amazons weren't really involved in the wars, and sometimes joined forces. My take? They were probably the most untrustworthy allies I'd ever seen. And I'd seen a few, being in a gang.

The Hunters wore silver bandanas, and accepted only girls. Don't ask me why. If you were a Hunter, you had to swear off men. I'd considered what it would be like being a Hunter, but I was fine without swearing off the boys. Besides, I had an on-off thing with someone already.

The Amazons had a green bandana, and were a girls only club too. They didn't have to be maidens for the rest of their lives, though. Although they definitely preferred guys who knew who was really the boss. They were wicked hardcore.

SPQR, they were a real military style operation. They had rankings, and proper battle squadrons and whatnot. That sort of thing I found interesting, but I'd rather stick with my current gang. They had purple bandanas, like I said before.

Lastly, the Half-Bloods. The orange bandanas. Our biggest rivals. I was pretty sure the Half-Bloods hated us more than SPQR, but it was a close match.

The Titans were the most ruthless, and we were known for our mass numbers. I was headed to a mini meeting now. But unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your point of view, I heard a noise. Something that soubded suspiciously like a punch. I ducked behind a wall, and stuck my head around the edge. A guy in my gang, Chris, was fighting two Half-Bloods. One was a girl with stringy brown hair, and the other was a guy with black hair. I stormed into the space, and stood beside Chris, my arms crossed.

"What'd you do now?" I asked Chris, my eyes not leaving the Half-Bloods. In my peripheral vision, I saw him raise his palms.

"Walked into this alley. Then these two started going all guerilla on me," he said with distaste. The girl gnashed her teeth.

"That's not what happened." The boy stuck his arm out, and raised an eyebrow at me.

"Calm down, La Rue. I wanna hear this chick out." The way he said it made me think there was a very different meaning behind his words. My eyes narrowed.

"Of course you do, Prissy. She's a pretty blonde. Though Dare might not be too pleased if word got back..." she trailed off threateningly. The guy made a psh noise, and flapped a hand.

"Dare shmare. Don't tell me she hasn't hooked up with plenty other guys while we've been dating," he replied lazily.

"As much as your love life interests me, can we get back to the point? We gonna walk free, or do you want a piece of this?" I gestured to me and Chris. The guy smirked.

"Well, not him so much, but _you,_ now, I wouldn't mind a piece of." My fists clenched. Chris chuckled beside me.

"Don't hurt him too bad, Chase. You've got school tomorrow, and it'd take a while to wash the blood off your hands." I scoffed, and took a step towards the guy.

"You want a piece of me? I'll gladly oblige. Let's start with my fist." In a split second, I leaped into the air and drew back my fist. With lightning speed, I threw it forwards. He ducked, grabbed my arm, and spun me so my back was against him.

"Now, now. Violence isn't the way to express your affection," he chided. I responded by stabbing my elbow into his gut. He doubled over, and I broke free. By the time I was ready for my next attack, he was already recovered, grinning. The girl was rolling her eyes. I aimed a roundhouse kick at his ribs, but he caught my foot and spun me around. I managed to let one of my fists fly, and I felt it connect with his chest. Due to my strength, he started to fall. Unfortunately, his reflexes were quick, and he yanked me down with him. He flipped me over so he was on top of me, and leaned close to me. I glared at his green eyes. Who the hell had eyes that green, anyway?

"I think I'd rather start with your lips," he whispered, and placed his mouth over mine. Before I could do anything, he leaned back, examining me. He then looked to the girl, a sly grin gracing his features. She snorted.

"Whatever. You're not impressing me with that." I shoved him off of me, and stood up, scowling.

"Let's go," I snapped, hauling Chris along with me. He waggled his eyebrows.

"Lost a fight, huh?" I tightened my grip on gis arm.

"Oh shut up, Rodriguez."

"Doubt Luke'll be pleased about that kiss, though."

"Luke won't know. Besides, it's not like I wanted it to happen," I retorted.

"I wouldn't blame you. The dudes not exactly ugly." I thought about that. His black hair was tousled and messy, and went pretty well with his tanned skin. But he wasn't that great.

"Nah, he's not my type." Chris left it at that.

"Rodriguez, Chase! Nice of you to show up," Ethan muttered when we arrived. Chris flipped him off.

"Two Half-Bloods held us up. We're here now," he explained impatiently. I nodded.

"You don't seem too beat up," Ethan noted, looking us over. I scowled.

"That's because Chris sat out. I...lost the fight," I mumbled the last part. Ethan's eyes widened.

" _You_ lost a fight? Wow, the Half-Bloods must actually have a decent recruit. Who was it?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Dunno. Some guy. You know we don't use names." That was true enough. We used our last names, and if we went to school, we had fake last names. Mine was Carter. Also, you either had to wear contacts or a wig. I went with the contacts. During the day, my orbs were baby blue. Later on, they were really a startling, stormy grey.

"I guess. Come on, Luke wanted to see you." I followed Ethan down the path. We came to our HQ just as Luke was disarming another gang member. He looked up as we approached.

"Oh, hey guys. Why were you late?" He glanced at me suspiciously. I sighed.

"We got held up and I lost a fight," I grumbled. His eyebrows rose.

"You lost a fight, eh. Which gang was it? The Hunters? The Amazons?"

"The Half-Bloods," I said through gritted teeth.

"You lost to a _Half-Blood_?" A guy named Mark exclaimed. I nodded, glaring.

"Oh, ho ho! Who could be good enough to beat the mighty Chase?" He taunted. My fists clenched at my sides.

"Some guy. Shut up, Camon." His eyebrows lifted.

"We needa find this guy. Anyone who can beat Chasey, here-"

"It was a close fight. I mean, if she'd rolled over, she could've won," Chris put in.

"Then why didn't she?" Luke asked, staring right at me. To be completely honest, my fighting reflexes just hadn't kicked in in time. I shrugged, and he knew to leave it at that.

"Well, I've had intel that about half the people at your school are in gangs. Just thought I'd let you know," Luke said nonchalantly.

"Thanks for caring," I replied, just as expressionless. He met my gaze.

"Chase, I'm worried for you, okay? You need to be even more careful about people knowing who you are. You can't mess up."

"Puh-lease, Castellan. My façades' the best thing since sliced bread. I got this," I replied confidently. He looked at me, a thin smile on his lips.

"Good. Dismissed, Chase. Rodriguez, you stay behind."

 **Okay, I know Annabeth would kick Percy's butt in a hand to hand fight, but let's just go with it ror now, kay? She'll get her revenge later on.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

 **Hey guys! Chapter 2 is up! It may seem like it's moving really fast, but I don't really have this story planned out...at all. So, yeah. Enjoy.**

I shuffled down the hallway. The Annabeth Carter ruse was such a drab. My black wig was in a ballet-style bun on top of my head, I had my blue contacts in, and my uniform was regulation to perfection. Yawn. As I was walking, someone knocked the books out of my hands. I stumbled, and knelt down to retrieve them. Once they were in a neat pile again, I looked at the offender. Brown hair, tan skin. Dark eyes and freckles. Peter Johnson.

"What do you want, Johnson?" I asked quietly. He smirked.

"Still on last name basis, huh, Annie? I thought we were past that," he said, mock hurt. I resisted the urge to punch him.

"Leave me alone," I said, not meeting his gaze.

"What would be the fun in that?"

"I'm sorry. Please, stop being like...this," I mumbled. His eyebrows rose, and an expression of disbelief contorted his features.

"What? No way! You messed me up, Carter. You screwed with me, right in here," he pointed to his head, then his heart. "I think I deserve my revenge."

"And you've got it."

"Oh, no. See, you're going to love me, Carter. Then you'll know just a smidgen of how it felt, all those years ago. Sixth grade. Good times," a rueful smile twisted his lips.

"If you keep treating me like this, I'll never like you," I replied.

"That's how it works. The nerd falls for her bully. Isn't that how it goes in all your silly romance books?" He asked harshly.

"You don't know me," I whispered. A grin quirked one side of his mouth, and he leaned down so his face was right beside mine.

"And you don't know me. Because if you did, you wouldn't be quite so resistant," he muttered, before standing up and stalking off. Oh, my fake life. So fickle.

"Hey! Blondie! Long time no see!" I spun, fist cocked back. A guy with an orange bandana wrapped around his wrist lazily raised a hand in greeting. My eyes rolled.

"It's been a day," I said.

"24 hours without, that's pretty hard, sweetheart." I glared at him.

"I've got a boyfriend. Piss off," I snapped. His eyebrow quirked.

"I'm sure I'm better than your boyfriend. Who's the lucky guy?" He asked cockily. I smiled smugly at him.

"Castellan. Leader of the Titans," I answered. He flapped a hand.

"Him? Pfft. You can do so much better than the Titans, honey."

"Like the Half-Bloods? Yeah, right," I snorted. He raised an eyebrow.

"They took me in in my time of need. Maybe they can do the same for you."

"Ha. Then where were they in _my_ time of need?"

"You know, I never got your name," he said airily.

"I never offered it. What about you, hotshot? Do you have a name?" I sent back.

"The names Jackson, sweetheart. Now, do you want me to keep up the pet names, or use your real name?" He offered, voice sickly sweet. I scowled at him.

"It's Chase." I ground out.

"You know, you remind me of someone," he called as I started walking away.

"Yeah? An old girlfriend of yours?"

"Nah. She wasn't good enough for me."

"That's modest," I observed dryly. He gave me a lopsided grin.

"Yeah, well. Going through what I have makes you appreciate stuff. You should learn sometime. I could teach you," he added, wiggling his eyebrows. I glared at him over my shoulder.

"In your dreams, Jackson," I scoffed.

"You will be!" He called after me. Jerk.

"Tell me what happens!" I called back, before turning down another side alley. I pulled out my phone. Normally, we gangs try to avoid phones, so the police can't pick up on us. But everyone had Luke on speed dial.

"Hello?"

"It's Chase. And I've got a name. Jackson," I told him. He didn't reply.

"Uh, hey?"

"Jackson," he repeated.

"Yeah," I said slowly.

"Oh, this is bad. This is _really_ bad," he muttered.

"Lu-Castellan. Why is it bad?" I demanded.

"He's the second in command of the Half-Bloods. He's dangerous. He and I have...history. I'd advise staying clear."

"Sure, Castellan. I'll stay clear. If you tell me what's wrong with him."

"Chase...let's put it this way: his worst flaw is loyalty," Luke began. I frowned.

"Isn't that a good thing?" I asked.

"He would do _anything_ for his gang. It's...dangerous, for someone like him."

"Someone like him?"

"His initiation was...messy. Why do you care so much?" Luke's question caught me off guard. Why _did_ I care? The guy was in a rival gang, which should be enough for me to steer clear of him. But I was intrigued. I honestly didn't know why.

"I-I don't know," I murmured. I heard Luke sigh.

"Chase, I know our relationships' been rocky. But...just, don't fall for Jackson, okay? You'd get hurt."

"Why would you think that I'd fall for him? I hate him!" I fumed.

"He's the kind of guy you'd like."

"How would you know which guys I like? Besides, he's in a rival gang. It's not allowed," I argued.

"You know Calypso, right?" I did. She was a really beautiful girl who had been a top, popular student, and then for some mysterious reason, she'd joined our gang, started drugs and alcohol, and her life hit an ultimate bottom.

"What about her?" I asked.

"The reason she turned...bad is because of Jackson. He dissed her and dismissed her. He really hurt her," he said sadly. Calypso used to be a good friend of mine. Or, shall I say Annabeth.

"He must be an asshole," I agreed.

"That's too kind for him. He's not just a jerk, he's cruel. Ever since he joined the Half-Bloods."

"Well, I've got school, so I gotta go. See ya, Luke!" I hung up before he could scold me for using his real name. School time. Such fun!

"Hey, Annie!" Piper called, running up to me.

"Hey, Piper," I smiled. Piper was one of the few people outside the gang that knew about my situation.

"How you doing? We barely saw you yesterday!" Jason exclaimed, coming up beside Piper.

"Annnnd Beth finally decides to show up!" Leo crowed. I punched his arm.

"I had...uh, stuff," I mumbled. The grin dropped off his face.

"Oh, uh, crap. Sorry, I...uh, crap," he spluttered. I smiled faintly.

"It's okay. I had a fight with a Half-Blood." Leo whistled. Jason nudged him.

"Ooh, badass! How bad did you beat that shmuck?" I didn't reply. Leo's jaw dropped. "You...you lost?"

"Yes. I lost," I ground out.

"Who could beat you, Annie?" Piper asked gently. I scowled.

"The second command of the Half-Bloods, apparently. And he didn't even beat me graciously. It...he embarrassed me," I grumbled.

"A guy _embarrassed_ you? Okay, I need to meet this miracle guy. Who is he?" Leo demanded.

"His names' Jackson. Black hair, green eyes. Tanned. I wonder if he's one of the students here," I pondered, glancing down the corridor.

"Jackson. That...actually rings a bell. Dunno from where, though," Jason mused.

"He's the reason why Calypso turned bad." Leo's face soured. He'd liked Calypso before the, uhm, incident, and he probably wanted to kill Jackson.

"I'll help you kill him," he said determinedly. Point proven.

"Leo, he beat Annie. He'd crush you," Piper reasoned. She could always calm people down.

"Uh oh. PJ alert," Jason muttered, his face tensed.

"Peanut butter and jelly?" Leo asked, confused. Jason shook his head, and nodded behind me. Leo and Piper's eyes widened. I glanced over my shoulder, and swore.

"Now now, Annie. That isn't a very nice thing to say," Peter remarked, joining our group. You know what? Forget the dumb quiet act.

"Your point, Peter?" I droned.

"You should respect your betters, Carter," he said, voice hardened.

"Like you respect me?" I asked incredulously.

"You don't know the _half_ of what I go through, Carter. If you did-"

"I wouldn't be so resistant, yeah? Well, I think it's _you_ who doesn't know what _I've_ been through, Johnson. I'm sure it's worse than your tragic childhood," I snapped. His eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer to me, pinning my neck to the wall.

"Tragic doesn't even _begin_ to describe it. You're right, I don't know you. But you don't know me, either. I wouldn't be so quick to judge what you don't know," he muttered, before giving me a final shove and walking away. I rubbed my neck, while the other three glared at his back.

"Jerk," Piper muttered.

"I swear, you two have the same conversation every time you talk," Jason said in awe. I stared at the space he'd just left.

"That's because he's so focussed on the past," I said.

"I don't get how you moved on so quickly."

"If I stayed stuck on the past for too long, I don't think I could cope with it." The sound of the bell rang through the hall. "I'd better be off." See you guys later."

I jotted down a few notes, yawning. English was probably my worst subject, since I was dyslexic. But that didn't stop me from getting A's. I saw a piece of paper land on my desk.

 _Talk to me. I'm bored_

I grinned, and scrawled a short reply.

 _Pay attention, Malcolm, or you'll end up with Drew at McDonald's_

He scowled when he saw that. Good riddance. Malcolm was one of my friends at Goode who didn't know about my gang life. It was refreshing, in a way, having someone who didn't constantly worry about your life.

 _Or I could be your assistant. Since you're obviously going to be some big-shot business owner_

I raised my eyebrows, and scribbled back:

 _You could be, too. You're as smart as me. You're just lazy_

 _Thanks, Annie. You really know how to cheer me up_

 _You're welcome_

 _Did we have bio homework?_

My eyes rolled. He _never_ remembered homework. Even though he was second in the class, he just didn't put in all the effort that he could.

 _Yeah. The write-up of the dissection, remember?_

 _Ah, yes. The frog guts. Did she just say we had to finish our essay for tomorrow?_

I glanced up at the teacher. She was writing on the board about homework.

"I expect you all to have completed your essays by tomorrow. You've already had the weekend to work on them." My eyes widened. I wasn't even halfway through.

 _Did she just say 'you had the weekend'? Does she think we have no lives? What the heck?_

 _That's a lot of 'did she just say's. I'm not even halfway on the essay. Crud_

Just then, the bell rang, announcing the end of the class. I waved at Malcolm, before picking up my bag and rushing off. Time for city patrol.

"Shut it, White."

"Whatever, Benvenuti. You know no one takes scouting missions seriously. Take Jackson and Tanaka, for instance."

"Yeah, but Jackson's second in command. He can make out with anyone, anywhere, anytime, and not get into trouble. We aren't second in command, so stop talking."

"Dare isn't gonna be happy. That's, what, the fourth, fifth girl he's got with since they started dating?"

"Probably more. Anyway, we're scouting. So for the last time-"

"Hey, guys, can you keep it down? You're disturbing me." I knew that voice.

" _We're_ disturbing _you_? You guys are the ones kissing on a scouting mission-hey, that rhymed! Anyway, you're leaving me to talk to Benvenuti, and everyone knows how _painful_ that is-"

"Dude, I'm doing you a favor. You can flirt without us two listening. No one's here, anyway." I stepped back, and my foot brushed an empty Coke can. I cursed silently.

"Hey, you hear that? No one's here my ass." I backed up, but the four Half-Bloods emerged from their hiding place. Jackson smirked.

"Well well well. Look what we have here," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Cliché line," I observed.

"Who's this, Jackson? Another one of your, ah, _flings_?" A tan girl with brown hair asked.

"Not yet."

"Not ever. You're the one who ruined Calypso," I said, glaring.

"I didn't _ruin_ her-"

"Can it, pendejo. You ruined her," the girl cut in again. I decided I liked this girl. Jackson gave her an exasperated look.

"Who's side are you _on_ , Benvenuti?"

"Apparently not yours," I muttered. His gaze flashed to me.

"Do you want another beat down?" I shrugged.

"It's not like you actually hurt me." That was probably the wrong thing to say.

"You want pain? I can give you that." I took a step back, and hit the wall. I swore. A sinister grin curled his features.

"So. Where do you want me to start?" He asked.

I fought back. I landed a few punches, and one of my kicks hit with a snap. I don't really want to write about how badly he beat me, so I won't. I'll just tell you that I wouldn't have to worry about my essay tomorrow.

"That pain enough for you, Chase?" He asked, digging his elbow into my neck. I gasped in a breath.

"Pain? I didn't feel a thing," I spat, glaring.

"Do you need a repeat, or..." he trailed off threateningly. I shook my head, spluttering. He released me.

"Don't spy on my gang. Or a bruise won't be all you get." All that...that was to protect his gang? I mean, being loyal is good, don't get me wrong, but...that was cruel. I understood what Luke meant about it being a bad thing. I decided to open my mouth. Maybe I was delirious from the injuries. Maybe I was fed up with people pushing me around. Whatever reason, it was dumb.

"You know, it's funny how you beat up someone to protect your gang, yet you can't stay faithful to your girlfriend," I blurted. The other girl, who looked part Asian, snickered and looked to Jackson. He rolled his shoulders.

"Look, Chase. You can leave now, or I'm calling the rest of the gang. I'm assuming you know what that means." I nodded. I'd probably be killed if I hung around. I flashed a jaunty wave.

"Well, nice meeting you three! See ya, Jackson!" I called, before hobbling out of the alley with what little dignity I still had. Oh, gods. How was I going to explain this to mom?

"I'm home!" I called, wincing at the effort.

"Hi, honey. How wa-Annabeth?" My mom gasped, rushing over.

"It's...fine..." I mumbled.

"Annabeth Chase, you have multiple bruises, two black eyes, a bleeding nose, lip, and...oh my word. Is that a broken bone? What have you got yourself into, young lady?" I winced.

"Gang fight. Asshole second...in command. Beat me...for spying..." I choked out. Mom's eyes widened.

"Which gang?" She asked. My eyes drooped.

"The...Half-Bloods..." and then, as dumb and cliche as it is, I blacked out.

 **So, for those who didn't get it, the italics is Malcolm and Annabeth talking**

 **I'm gonna start asking questions each chapter, and maybe I'll get more reviews. So, this chapters question:**

 **Which one of the seven is your favourite? If you haven't read Heroes of Olympus, then what characters out of Thalia, Nico, Grover, Annabeth, Percy, Clarisse or the Stoll brothers?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

 **Sup guys! Sorry 'bout the delay. I passed out again! Hooray. So I know what Annabeth felt at the end of that last chapter. Not nice. Anyway, I am bad at writing, like, romance-y stuff, so if there's a bad part around that, blame my awkwardness when it comes to stuff like that.**

 **Onwards and up! Or is it outwards? I dunno. Here's the story, is what I mean.**

I woke up in a hospital. My first thought, as a gang member, was something along the lines of: oh, crap. I sat bolt upright, and my eyes fixed on my mom. There was no doctor in the room.

"Mom! How do I explain my injuries? You know I don't like hospitals!" I hissed. She smiled sadly.

"Annabeth, if you keep getting hurt this badly...well, it's not good for you. You're lucky you only got a broken leg." My jaw dropped open.

"A broken leg? No! My cover will be blown! I'll have crutches, and if Jackson finds out where I live..." I slapped my hand over my mouth. Mom would not rest until she saw Jackson get justice, knowing her. Crap.

"Jackson? Like that awful Peter?" She questioned. I shook my head.

"That's Peter _Johnson_. Jackson's worse."

"Someone worse than Peter? I must meet this boy," mom said in awe. I rolled my eyes.

"Why does everyone say that? Trust me, you do _not_ want to meet him," I assured. Mom tilted her head.

"I'm sure I don't. You'll be able to get out of here once I've filled out the paperwork. I said you fell out of a tree." I snorted at that.

"Mom. I'm seventeen. Seventeen year old girls don't just go falling out of trees," I said. She shook her head.

"Hey, you never know, Annie. You did," she winked, and I had to suppress my smile. Mom could always make me smile in these situations. She's the only reason I could stand my life.

"That's right, Mom. And-oh, no. Piper's going to make me go shopping," I exclaimed, eyes wide.

"How do you know?"

"It's been exactly a month and a half since our last trip."

"I never took Piper to be the type for being that accurate," Mom mused. I just raised my eyebrows.

"Mom, it's shopping. And Piper," I told her.

"True, true. I see where you're coming from. Well, I wish you luck." And of course, I needed that luck wayyy before the trip.

"Crutches, huh, Chase?" I took a deep breath, and glared at the boy on the bench.

"Piss off, Jackson." He cocked his head.

"You greeted me like that last time. I'm starting to think you don't like me." I snorted derisively.

"Why would you possibly think that, Jackson?" I asked.

"I don't know. Why would anyone not like me, Chase?" I pretended to think.

"Me, personally? Well, you beat me up, are seriously rude, cocky and conceited, forced yourself upon me-"

"And that's a problem...how?" He asked lazily, fiddling with his bandana.

"Because it's not right! I didn't _want_ you to do that!" I exclaimed. He stood up, and walked towards me. I didn't back down.

"Tell me, Chase: am I not attractive to you? I'm dying to know," he drawled. I narrowed my eyes.

"Like I said, you're a jerk. You're rude-" He cut me off.

"That's not what I asked. Do you think I'm attractive, Chase?" He asked again, green eyes staring at me intently.

"Well, sure. You're not bad looking, but-"

"So what's the problem?" He asked insistently.

"Because you're a jerk who doesn't respect personal space. And I like guys for their personalities, not their looks," I replied. He stepped even closer to me.

"Really? You're not even tempted...right now?" He whispered, holding my wrists against the Dumpster behind me, and put himself as close as humanely possible to me as he could.

"You don't want to kiss me? You want to go running back to your little Titan boyfriend?"

"Yeah. I do," I answered. His eyes sparkled.

"Which one are you saying yes to?" He smirked.

"Look, I don't want to kiss you. So can you just leave me alone? You already made me drop my crutches," I pointed out.

"I think you're lying," he stated. I rolled my eyes.

"Aw, poor wittle Jackson. A girl doesn't want to kiss him! What is he going to do?" I droned sarcastically.

"This," he said simply, and started leaning in. The hell? Can he not take a hint? But, to my horror, I felt instinct make my eyes flutter closed. I felt his lips brush mine, and then nothing. My eyes snapped open to a grinning Jackson.

"I knew you were lying," he said smugly.

"Whatever. Let me go," I snapped. His eyebrows rose.

"Is wittle Chase sad she didn't get her kiss?" He mocked. I brought my knee up, and kneed him in the groin. He let go of me, and groaned. I picked up my crutches, and yelled over my shoulder.

"And that's why you don't force yourself on people."

"You did _what_?" Piper shrieked, and Leo, Jason and I covered our ears.

"He tried to force himself on me, so I kneed him in the balls," I said simply. Jason and Leo winced.

"Man, he must've been horrible to deserve that," Jason shuddered. Piper elbowed him.

"Did you not just hear her? He forced himself on her. That's not what you do."

"Did he really?" Jason asked. I thought back. Well, technically, I _had_ let it happen, and I didn't protest when he actually went to kiss me, but still...I didn't actually _want_ him to.

"Yeah," I replied shortly.

"Enough painful stuff. Let's talk about the dance!" Piper said. I dragged a hand over my face.

"I thought we said no more painful stuff?" I moaned. Leo snickered.

"Come _on_ , Annie. It's only a dance," he mimicked. Piper scowled.

"And I suppose you'll be asking, uh-"

"Don't even say it," he warned. See, before Calypso turned bad, she was real sweet and kind. Now, she was bitter and sarcastic. Leo used to like her, so we always tease him about it.

"Oh, I wasn't going to say _her_ I was thinking..." Piper glanced around the corridor, and her eyes stopped on me. "Annie! You going with anyone yet?"

"No way! I'm not going with Valdez!" I protested. Leo touched his heart.

"Now, I'm offended."

"Whatever. She's probably going with what's-his-name, Malcolm."

"No! We're just friends-"

"Oh, sure. That's what they all say."

"You know I'm going out with Luke-"

"Puh-lease, Carter. That relationship wore thin as soon as it started."

"Hey! It's still going fine!" I argued. Jason raised a finger.

"Fine. You said fine. Usually when a girl says fine, it means it's totally not okay," he said. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You've been spending too much time with Piper again," I told him. He shrugged.

"I'm not going. It's not good for gang members to go to dances-"

"Pish. You're going, Annie. It's a masquerade. You don't have to wear those damn contacts, because most of your eyes can be hidden behind a mask," Piper pointed out. I sighed.

"You realize other gangs-"

"Will be there, and won't recognize you," Piper interrupted.

"Fine. I'll go. Happy?"

"Very."

I hate dress shopping. And any kind of shopping. But especially dress shopping.

I mean, you've got the other anti-shoppers, who are being dragged along against their will.

Then there's the super shoppers, which are the ones that are usually dragging along the anti-shoppers.

There're other types too, but I won't describe them. Just know that I was the anti-shopper, and Piper was the super-shopper.

"You've found your dress. How about I don't get one, and don't go to the dance?" I suggested.

"No! You have an awesome mask, and I did not waste my money on it for nothing! Now quit whining and help me look," she said, sifting through the clothes.

"Fine," I grumbled. I was wearing my brown contacts, and had my glasses on. See, the glasses were actually plastic, but they helped with the disguise. My hair was in a half-up half-down thing, so hopefully any gangs wouldn't recognize me.

"Annie," Piper whispered. I spun around, fists up.

"Yeah?" She held up a dress. Oh, gods.

"Try this on. Now," she ordered. I took the dress.

"Yes ma'am." I pulled the dress on, and looked at my reflection in the mirror. It stopped just past my knees, and was a silvery, flowy fabric, but in the style of a Greek chiton.

"Yo, Piper, can I have my mask?" I yelled. She chucked it over the door. It was silver, and had a pair of golden laurels. The dress was perfect for it.

"I'm getting this one!" I called. I heard Piper laugh.

"Thank the gods. I'm hungry."

 **So there it is. For the next chapters, I'm going to put more emphasis on each part of her life, and not just flitting between them. So, my answer for the last chapters question:**

 **Out of the seven, I've gotta say Percy.**

 **From the first series, though, I'd have to say Thalia. And they both like my music! Hooray! And I also have a rant, so skip to the next chapter if you don't wanna read it all.**

 **Camp Rock.**

 **Yup. I'm serious. I'm actually watching Camp Rock 2 right now (because, let's be honest, their** ** _hair_** **in the first movie was just...jeez), and I can sing to most of the songs. My top seven Camp Rock songs from both movies would have to be, in no particular order, Play My Music, Wouldn't Change a Thing, Heart and Soul, Fire, It's On, Brand New Day and...Introducing Me! Because Nate and Dana are great. And Nick Jonas was better in that song then he is now. I mean...jeez, the things singers do to themselves.**

 **ANYWAY, that rant was REALLY long, and about Camp Rock. Oh, wow. If you skipped that, good job, and read on below, for NON-CAMP ROCK related stuff.**

 **And this chapters question:**

 **Which god is your favourite? And which goddess? Minor ones included!**

 **I don't mean your godly parent, because they may be a prick in real life, but just who you thinks cool.**

Also, because I don't update that often on this story:

 **Which do you like better out of the following:**

 **1\. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard**

 **2\. Percy Jackson and the Olympians**

 **3\. Heroes of Olympus**

 **4\. Kane Chronicles**

 **5\. I swear there's another one, but-Trials of Apollo. That's right. That's all my questions. Goodnight, universe!**

 **HV out**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

 **Okay, to answer the last chapters question: I'm gonna say the twins, Apollo and Artemis. And as for my favourite series...PJO. Gotta stick with the original. Though HOO is a close second.**

"Okay. Remember, we're gonna show Drew and her gang-" I winced. "Sorry, _posse_ , who's boss."

"Yep. Let's go. My feet are sore from standing," I complained.

"And you're wearing sandals," Piper muttered. The car ride was silent. When we pulled up to the gym, Leo and Jason were standing outside. You couldn't miss Leo's oil-stained shirt. Piper scowled when she saw him.

"Did you even try?" She demanded. He shrugged.

"It was the cleanest thing I had," he said.

"Cleanest thing he had," she mimicked in disgust.

"Well, let's go! I heard the foods good," Jason remarked, and set off for the door.

"Wait for me!" Leo squeaked, eyeing Piper warily.

"Wimp," Piper muttered, before heading in after him. Inside, the gym was decorated amazingly. It was a winter style theme, and there were fake snowflakes and white streamers and balloons.

"Hey, Pipes, wanna dance?" Jason asked awkwardly after a few minutes.

"Sure, Jase!" They skipped onto the dance floor. I nudged Leo.

"Your Calypso senses tingling?" I asked. He gave me a look.

"Bad Spiderman reference. I would not dance with her, even if she asked me to."

"Rude. I'm gonna go get some punch. See ya soon," I told him, then headed toward the punch table. Halfway there, though, I felt a tap on my back.

"Care to dance?" I spun, and came face to face with the offender. He had tangled blonde hair, and I couldn't make out the rest of him. His mask hid his face well. I glanced back as Leo, who was talking to a group of people. I shrugged.

"What the hay. Sure," I replied. He led me out onto the dance floor, and started to slow dance.

"So. You go here?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. All my life," I replied. He tilted his head.

"Really? I'm sure I'd remember a face as nice as yours," he remarked. I raised my eyebrows, then remembered he couldn't see it.

"Please, you're bordering on being like someone I know, and I do not want to think about him tonight," I said.

"Who do I remind you of?" He questioned.

"Some guy I know. He's a real jerk," I told him. His eyes twinkled beneath the mask, but because of the gauze over them, I couldn't make out which colour they were.

"Ah, I see. I know a lot of jerks," he nodded. I grinned.

"I'm sure you do. So, you go here too?" I questioned.

"Yep. All my life," he mocked. I stepped on his foot lightly.

"Whatever. What's your name?" He immediately tensed up.

"Uh, it doesn't matter. What's yours?" He sent back, looking slightly flustered.

"If you don't tell me yours, I'm not telling you mine," I said firmly. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Okay. I'm...Pierre. Pierre Johansson," he stumbled over the words, as if they were surreal to him.

"Beth. Beth Ch-ar-man," I said awkwardly.

"You don't sound so sure," Pierre remarked.

"Neither did you," I shot back.

"Touché. So...I got nothing. Small talks not my thing," he admitted.

"Same here."

"Then, I guess we do...big talk?" He suggested. I grinned at thst.

"And what's big talk?" I questioned.

"When you talk about big stuff. Like elephants, or, um...houses! So, where's your house?" He rambled. I stifled a laugh.

"You want to know where my house is," I repeated. I could faintly see his eyes widen.

"No! I mean, that's what I said, but I didn't mean that, and I don't want to know where you live, because that would be creepy..." he pressed his hands to his face. "I'm not good at big talk, either."

"I can see that," I said, smirking. He scrabbled for something in his pants pocket.

"Hey, uh, can you write your number? You seem cool," he asked nervously, holding out a pen. I hesitated. I did have a phone for non-gang-related stuff, but only Piper, Jason, Leo and my mom had the number. Then again, not having a phone would be suspicious. I scrawled the number on his hand.

"That washes off, you ain't getting a second one," I warned him. He nodded, staring at the number.

"I feel really weird. Like, this whole thing," he swept his hand in an arc, "just doesn't seem right. Maybe I'm just really out of my element."

"Trust me, I know the feeling," I answered. He looked at me curiously.

"I'm sure you go to these sorts of things all the time."

"Ha. Heck no. I mean, I'm not used to coming to these things, or talking to other people," I answered.

"I think I've got the talking covered."

"Really? You seem...average at the small and big talk," I said, arching an eyebrow. His face contorted.

"Yeah? If you knew what I'm normally like, you probably wouldn't be talking to me," he replied.

"I'm sure I would. Why wouldn't I?"

"You seem like the type to hate my type. Some people say I'm a bit of a player," he answered.

"Oh, gods. You're not Colten, are you?" He grinned.

"Nope, not Colten. I'd say I'm more of an...opportunist."

"Opportunist as in?"

"Takes opportunities. In all meanings of the word," he grinned big, like a Cheshire cat grin.

"Well, I'd better be getting back to my friends," I said, but didn't move.

"So should I." He stayed put, too.

"You have nice eyes," he said eventually. Too bad they weren't real. I lifted my eyebrows.

"Thanks. You-I can't actually see your eyes."

"They're staying under here," he said with a grin.

"Really?"

"You know, you remind me of someone, too," he said.

"Yeah. Before she-" he stopped abruptly, and shook his head.

"Forget I said anything. What's your favourite colour?" He asked randomly.

"Probably grey. Or, I dunno, I've always liked orange," I answered.

"Like the Half-Bloods?" I was sort of surprised at that, but then shook it off. Everyone talked about the Half-Bloods.

"No way. I just like the colour."

"Mine's blue," he told me.

"Like the Titans?" I smirked mockingly. He lifted a shoulder.

"I knew someone in the Titans. They intrigued me. But no, that's not why it's my favourite colour." We spent about another half hour talking, before I headed back to my friends. Leo, Jason and Piper were all grinning at me.

"So. Who's he?" Leo asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Shut up," I said. He obliged.

I spotted a group of girls with silver bandanas. Ah, crap. The Hunters were not high on my list of favourite people. They didn't believe in my gang personas ethics.

"Hey Chase! Nice wig!" Their leader, Zoe, called out. I know everyone calls gang members by their last names, but everyone knows the leaders full name. The last name thing is just a formality.

"Nightshade! What a pleasure!" I yelled back.

"Nice bruises. Those stitches and that limp really pull it all together. Who did that?" Another one, Grace, hollered. The other hunters laughed.

"Not one of you, that's for sure!" I called back smugly. I stalked off as they stared after me.

"Wow, you sure showed them," drawled a voice. My fists clenched.

"Why the hell do you keep showing up so much? It's starting to get annoying," I said, stopping.

"What would be the fun in not annoying you?" I spun, and my eyebrows raised to the top of my head. "Oh, uh, I thought you were someone else. Sorry." They looked taken aback, too.

"Uh, me too. Sorry bout that," Peter Johnson scratched his neck awkwardly. I was in gang form. But my black wig was in it's ponytail, because I'd forgotten about it, but luckily my bandana covered most of my face, and I didn't have my contacts in. So I was mostly identifiable as Chase.

"So, you're messed up in this whole gang business, huh?" He asked. I nodded sharply.

"Yeah. The Titans. Woohoo," I said dully. He raised an eyebrow.

"I get the feeling you don't like me," he said bluntly.

"Someone told me that the other day. You remind me of them," I explained.

"It's not nice to make assumptions," he replied, the eyebrow still raised.

"And it's not nice to make snide remarks at people you don't even know. Your point?"

"You know, you remind me of someone too. Someone I hate," he pondered.

"Yay for me. Now, I have _gang business_ to attend to, so I'll be off. Unless you have other ideas?" I asked innocently, casually weighing my knife. He swallowed and stepped back.

"None. I'm good. See ya round."

"I hope not."

"Hear, hear." I groaned as he walked away. Annabeth Carter's and Chase's lives were starting to merge. This was _not_ good.

"You met Peter. In _gang_ form," Leo repeated.

"Yep," I replied.

"Man, you're screwed," he mused. Piper shoved him.

"Shut up, Repair Boy. If word gets out that she's in a gang...she could be expelled!"

"So could half the student body, though. A lot of them are gang members in disguise," I reminded her.

"Imagine if Peter was in a gang," Jason thought aloud. We exchanged glances, then burst out laughing.

"Man, that'd be...that'd be funny," I choked out.

"He does sound as jerk-y as Jackson, though," Piper pointed out.

"If he was Jackson...nope. That wouldn't happen. They're too different," I said.

"Carter's a quiet bookworm. Chase is outgoing, adventurous, and definitely not a bookworm," Piper pointed out.

"True. But when Peter is Jackson is the day I fail my math exam," I said. Jason raised an eyebrow.

"I'll hold you to that."

"What'll you do if he _is_ Jackson?" He thought about that.

"Me and Leo'll run around the school in our underwear. Deal?" Leo held up his hands.

"Woah, woah, woah. When did I agree to this?"

"Deal," I said. "You've got no chance."

"I know," Jason replied. Piper furrowed her eyebrows.

"So...you _want_ to run around the school half naked?"

"I didn't say that..."

"It was implied."

"Whatever. Anyway, I'll just do some laps or something. Leo can be chased by the uniform police."

"Aw, man, that's not nice. Not nice."

 **Maybe it could've been better, but there it is.**

 **This chapters question:**

 **Favourite quote? Or just a quote that you like?**

 **-HV**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

 **I don't have anything to say here, just my answer from the last chapter.**

 **I don't have one in particular, but I liked the whole 'dam' and 'schist' incidents, and I'm only going to say this: go to my profile. There are a bunch of quotes on there.**

"Hey, Chase!" Calypso yelled. I raised a hand.

"Hey, Atlas! How's it going at Ogygia?" I asked. Ogygia was her store, which she also lived in. Since she only came to school half the time, she had the shop to make a living. She did all sorts of stuff that I didn't imagine someone of her sort could manage. Then again, everyone thought I was an over achiever when really, well.

"Great. You should stop by sometime. I could fix you up with some decent shampoo, give your hair some extra volume," she said dryly.

"Yeah, I'll take you up on that. Where're Rodriguez and Nakamura? We're meant to be stopping off at the downtown bank in ten minutes," I asked. She jerked a thumb down the street.

"Playing one of their dumb drinking games," she said.

"Don't you play their drinking games?" I questioned. She smirked.

"Ah, yes. But when I play, I go by my rules," she grinned mischievously.

"Well, see ya, Atlas!" I headed for the street where the two numbskulls would be. I spotted them both chugging from shot glasses. Luckily, the bottle with them was still full. It must've been their first shot.

"Yo, bozos! We got bank robbing duty tonight. Funds for some kinda plan Castellan hooked up," I said. They turned to me.

"Oh, right. That. C'mon, Nakamura, let's go," Chris stood up, and followed me. Once we reached the spot, I made sure they knew the plan. I went in. I got the money. They made sure no one caught me. I got out.

"Got it?" I checked. They nodded.

"Well, see you two later. I'm going in." I jumped up onto the Dumpster, and grabbed a hold of the pipes intertwining up the building. I scaled them, until I was standing on the roof. The view from up there was amazing.

"Woah," I breathed. The lights were all sparkling and, in the slight dew was making them hazy. I found the pipe, and unscrewed the lid. Taking a deep breath, I dropped down it, keeping my feet firmly on the side, and my back on the other. At the bottom, I coughed. Jeez. It just had to be a fireplace. Which led right to the safe, so getting covered in soot was worth it.

"Oh yeah," I muttered. "Let's check you out." I twisted the lock, and the safe popped open. After taking half the money (hey, don't want them noticing _straight_ away...), I gently closed the safe, and turned around. And stepped back.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" I snapped. He raised his palms in surrender, his eyes dark.

"Well, I was going to rob a bank, but _apparently_ somebody beat me to it," Jackson answered, raising an eyebrow at the money bag in my hands. "Now, if you just wanna hand it over..."

"Heck no! I got here first, so it's mine! Finders keepers, losers weepers. So go weep. Rob another bank," I hissed at him.

"Well, I could go to or that trouble, or I could just take that," he gestured to my bag.

"Lazy, much? Anyway, how did you get down the pipe without getting covered in ash?" I asked. He grinned at me.

"I have my ways. Now, do you want me to smash that pretty face of yours again, or do you want to hand me the bag? Remember, no one can catch me without _you_ getting caught too, sweetheart," he gave me a winning smile. Dang, he was smart. He was right, too. I was trapped. I saw four ways this could go, realistically.

I could hand over the money. Um, no.

I screamed, and pretended he dragged me up here to do the code on the safe. But how would I have known the code? Bad idea.

I could fight him, and get beaten up so badly I couldn't get out of there again. Besides, I'd lose the money.

Or fourth...well, I really didn't want to do it. But if it meant getting out of there safely with the money...

I put the bag behind my back, and took a step closer to him. Note to self: buy mouthwash with stolen money. This is going to mess up my tastebuds for days.

"I really don't want to fight you," I murmured, internally gagging as I stepped closer to him.

"No? Then don't. All you have to do is hand it over," he said, holding out his hand. I placed my free had in it.

"You know what I think?" I asked quietly.

"What?"

"I think you owe me," I stated. He tilted his head.

"And what do I owe you?"

"You don't remember? I think it was...two days ago? By the Dumpster?"

"Oh, yeah, I remember," he smirked. "You wanna finish that off?"

"I dunno. You tell me," I replied.

"You know, I got the impression two days ago you didn't really like me," he pondered. Oh my gods, dude, just stop stalling so I can get out of here! Jeez.

"Have you never heard of there being a thing line between love and hate, Seaweed Brain?" I asked bluntly. He raised his eyebrows.

"Seaweed Brain?" I pointed to the desk by the wall.

"Seaweed crackers. And seaweed cracker brain's too long," I explained. He nodded.

"Right. Are you always this..." he struggled for a word.

"Wise?" I offered.

"Whatever, wise girl. Are you?"

"I dunno, you tell me."

"Will you stop saying that?" he asked.

"I dunno, you tell me."

"Do I really have to shut you up?"

"I dunno, you. Tell. Me."

"You got it," he said, then closed the distance between us, held my wrists against the wall, and bent his head toward mine, all in one smooth motion, and placed his mouth on mine. It was going on...for a while. It wasn't, how to put it...let's just say that maybe I won't be needing that mouthwash. _Definitely_ maybe. His hands were roaming over me. Why do guys do that? Honestly. Grinning, I flipped us around, and got my fist ready. Then I brought the money bag up, and smacked him in the head with it. He dropped to the floor, moaning.

"And that's why you don't try and outsmart a Chase." I turned back to the fireplace. "Oh, and by the way? You seriously need to learn to keep your hands to yourself. Really." I dropped in front of Chris and Ethan, and tossed the bag in their direction.

"Careful, it has germs," I said seriously, before walking away.

"What germs?" Ethan asked.

"Half-Blood germs," I called over my shoulder. Well, that was interesting. I dug around in my pocket for my phone.

Except, it wasn't there. Oh, that sneaky bastard. My phone hand been in my back pocket. I was going to kill him. It had a four letter pin, but I doubted that would stop him from breaking in. The only numbers it had were my mom, Jason, Leo and Piper. And then Pierre had my number, too.

Oh, crap. Pierre. I hoped like hell he wouldn't call me. Not until I got my phone back. But Jackson better not try track down anyone. Oh, no. This was bad.

"Hey, Chase! You got the money?" Luke called. I chucked the bag at him.

"You better have something worthwhile planned, Castellan. You do _not_ want to know what I had to go through to get that. I'm not in a good mood" I snapped. Luke raised his eyebrows.

"I can tell. You look, uh, interesting. What'd you have to do?" he asked. I looked down at myself. My clothes were covered in soot, and my hair was a mess, from what I could tell from fingering it.

"I kissed a Half-Blood," I said in disgust. Luke straightened.

"About that. We'll talk about that later. Our relationship...where do we stand?"

"Wherever you want it to stand," I replied, shrugging.

"Well, I could use a distraction right about now. Whaddaya say?"

"Yeah? Well, I've got Half-Blood germs contaminating me, so it'd be nice to get rid of them," I replied. So I leaned up, and we spent the next five minutes or so in a full-out makeout session. Then Luke seemed to remember something I'd said.

"So, who'd you kiss?" He asked, pulling away.

"Jackson," I answered. His eyes narrowed.

"Chase, out of _all_ the people who you could've-why?" He asked simply.

"It was either that or be beaten up. He stole my phone." Luke looked down.

"Chase, you're getting unreliable. First you lose a fight to a Half-Blood, and you haven't lost since you fought that guy who threatened you. Second, you nearly fail a robbery because of a Half-Blood. And both times, it's been the _same_ Half-Blood. And _Jackson_ , of all people. You're not as sharp as you used to be. You're on two strikes. I don't wanna do this, but if you hit three-"

"I'm unreliable, huh? I was _forced_ into joining you. I've done nothing but obey you. Next time another gang offers me a spot, I might just take it," I snapped back.

"Who offered?"

"Maybe it was Jackson, Luke! Maybe I like him better than you! He treats me better than you, for one!" I retorted. Okay, no he didn't, but Luke didn't know all about the various times he mistreated me. Besides, it was a bluff anyway. Luke stood up.

"Did I force myself on you? Make a fool out of you? Beat you up out of cruelty? No. But if you like him more-"

"That's the thing. I don't like him better. I'll be back later, Castellan. And I expect to be treated right." I stalked out of the alleyway, wondering if maybe Piper was right, and that my thing with Luke wasn't really as great as it had seemed one year ago.

 **Yay or nay? This chapters question:**

 **If you had to choose between being a dryad, naiad, nymph or satyr, which would you choose?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

 **Annd...welcome back to the story I never update because of my shitty time management skills! So, for last chapters question, I'm gonna go with naiad, because I love the ocean. Anyway, onwards with the story.**

 **Enjoy!**

"Dang, Chase, no bandana?" Jackson asked, leaning back against the wall.

"Me and L-Castellan had a bit of a...disagreement. Now get lost," I snapped back. He pushed off the wall.

"Really? Such a shame. That mean you're available?"

"No," I snapped. He raised his hands in surrender.

"Snarky, huh? Don't worry, sweetheart, you're gonna love me. Everyone does," he said casually.

"You stole something of mine. I'd like it back."

"Ah, yes. The _phone_. Ickle mistake, Chase. You should label your contacts, though. Never know whose who," he added, tapping his head.

"Shut it. Give me my phone," I ground out.

"You know what could happen if I just-" he plucked the phone out of his back pocket, and held it over the grate.

"You wouldn't dare." He would. It was the most Jackson like thing anyone could do. He raised his eyebrows at me.

"Don't use the word 'dare'."

"What do you want me to do?" I groaned in exasperation.

"I'll think about it. I might just hang on to this for a while."

"Really, Jackson, give it back. This whole smart-ass façade's getting old." He raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe it's not a façade, Chase. Maybe I'm really just an angsty, messed up teenager."

"And maybe you aren't. I think there's more to you, Jackson. I don't know what, though, seeing as you're such a jerk," I added.

"Aw, Chasey! That was almost a compliment," he clutched at his heart. "I'm touched, truly."

"Shut up. Just...give me my phone and get out of my life," I said, putting my hand on my forehead. He raised his eyebrows for the billionth time.

I'm so offended! How could you do this to me?" He asked dramatically, a superior smirk on his face. I lowered my hand, and glared at him.

"Look, Jackson. I'm sick of your freaking tough guy act. Drop it, give me my phone, then leave me the hell alone," I threatened, taking a step closer to him.

"And if I don't?" I cocked back my fist and punched him. He clutched his jaw, looking at me in awe.

"That won't be all you get. And don't raise your eyebrows so much, you'll get wrinkles," I advised dully, before continuing down the street.

"Don't scowl so often, you'll never get a boyfriend like that!" I clenched my fists, and resisted the urge to run back and punch him again.

"If I wanted one, I'd have one," I called back.

"So you are single."

"No crap," I muttered as I turned the corner. Where Luke was waiting, propped against the wall. What the _hell_ did I do to deserve this?

"Hey, Chase, I'm really sorry if I upset you yesterday, or if-" I cut him off. Yes, we are in gangs. But when he's trying to apologize to me, he can still use my real name, can't he?

"Hell no, Castellan. I'm having a crap day, and I never wanted to be a part of your _stupid_ gang in the first place, so guess what? I quit," I spat in his face. He looked shocked. Okay, maybe quitting wasn't exactly my _smartest_ idea, and being numero uno on the Titans hit list wasn't my first priority, but whatever. I was done with gang life.

"You can't quit. Being in a gang isn't something you can just _quit_ , Chase. You've said you'd leave before, but here you are," he replied, his eyes darkening. I arched an eyebrow at him.

"Fucking watch me," I said, and clocked him in the temple for good measure before storming away. Jeez, punching two guys in, what, ten minutes? Both of them from the most powerful gangs in Manhattan, and to make it even better, they were both pretty high-ranking. Well, I assumed Jackson was. No one could be that arrogant and not be in a position of power.

I wasn't sure where I stood with the Titans now. Would Luke think I was just joking (which I sure as hell wasn't), like I'd done a few times before when I got angry, or would he forcibly try to get me back in the gang? Or maybe he'd just think, screw her, and send one of his hitmen after me. I groaned, and kicked a rock.

"My life's messed up," I muttered.

"Yeah, it kinda is." I spun, and saw Zoe Nightshade standing there.

"What the hell do you want?" I mumbled, sitting on a nearby Dumpster. She raised her eyebrows.

"I hear you've quit the Titans." I didn't reply. "There's still room in the Hunters, if you're up for it." I felt my eyes roll skyward. Zoe'd been trying to recruit me for years. I'd shot her down every time. But now...it could offer me a refuge, if you could call it that, from the other gangs I'd pissed off recently. And I didn't really feel the need to date anyone right now.

I finally decided on, "I'll think about it." Zoe seemed satisfied with that, and nodded.

"See ya round, Chase."

"Later, Nightshade." As I was walking home, I pondered on my life as it stood. Not too great. I glanced inside the shops along the side of the street as I walked by them. Nothing interesting. Although I could use something to eat. I ducked into one of the public toilets and faced the mirror. My hair was down and blown across my shoulders. I pulled a stray piece out of my mouth, and examined my face. Slightly red, but I assumed that was the adrenaline from the punching wearing off. I reached into my trusty shoulder bag, and brought out an orange t-shirt and black skinny jeans. Hey, go off at me on how orange and black don't mix well. I don't give a crap. I splashed some water on my face, then tugged my bandanna off. I ran my fingers through my tangled hair, and tie it into a loose bun. Lastly, I put in my brown contacts, and was debating whether to put on my glasses when I heard a banging on the door.

"Yo, open up! I've been waiting nearly _ten minutes_!" Someone exclaimed from outside. I rolled my eyes, and shoved everything into my bag, before heading out. The angry girl that needed to take a piss gave me a disdainful look, before pushing past me into the loo. I slid on my spare pair of red glasses, and slipped into the nearest café. A bell rang above my head, drawing the attention of the five other customers who were crazy enough to be here at six at night.

"I'll take a chai latte and a scone, please," I told the person behind the counter, and turned to scan the seats. It was reasonably small, so there were only about two tables left. But both tables were right next to...oh crap. I casually strode over to the one closest to the door, silently praying they wouldn't see me. See, my list of enemies is pretty long. And I didn't even know if one of these two liked me or not. But I'm guessing you want the details.

One was Chris, and I didn't know whether Luke had told him about my quitting (I'm assuming he hasn't had time, but you never know), so that could go either way. But numero dos was another story.

Clarisse La Rue and I have history. I wasn't sure if she was in a gang or not, but I had my suspicions. She looked the part, to say the least. Clarisse was buffer than most of the guys in the Titans, and had a cruel sneer permanently etched on her lips. Her eyes were brown and narrow, and she was the classic bully. We've automatically hated each other since we first met, and my theory was that she was in the Half-Bloods, and knew I was pretty high up in the system, but I digress.

I sat down, and reached for my phone, only to find it wasn't there. "Damn Jackson," I muttered. Chris must have really good hearing, because his head turned to me for a second. He took in my hair, my clothes and my glasses and quickly dismissed me, turning back to Clarisse. He could do better, honestly. I breathed out a quiet sigh of relief, and pulled my laptop out of my bag. It was basically my prized possession. An older step-brother of mine had given it to me, just before he'd died of some weird liver disease. I plugged in my earphones, and unzipped them. Piper had bought them for me at a local night market, and they were awesome. Since I broke so many of my old earphones trying to untangle them, she got me ones where you zipped them up, so it was virtually impossible to tangle them. I brought up the browser, and surfed the internet for any gang related activity in the recent news. None. I quickly exited the tab when the waiter brought over my food, and I took a sip of my latte, wondering what to do now. I decided to log onto Gmail to check my inbox. Generally, it was mostly school announcements. I heard a ding from my earphones, and glanced at the chat that had popped up.

Piper: howre you doing?

Annabeth: I think I'm outta the titans

Piper: you think?

Annabeth: I told luke I quit, so...

Piper: thank freaking gods! about time

Annabeth: I don't know if that's good

Piper: y not?

Annabeth: ...I may have punched luke

Piper: ...ur serious

Annabeth: dead

Piper: maybe the halfbloods'll want u

Annabeth: ha, no. I punched one of their higher ups too

Piper: ...was it Jackson?

Annabeth: maybe

Piper: it was. y'd u do that?

Annabeth: cause hes an asshole?

Piper: right. u wanna stay over 2morro? hang out?

Annabeth: hey, y not. I'm gonna go, cause Clarisse is less than 2ms away from me

Piper: Yeesh. see u 2morro

Annabeth: til then

I put my laptop in my bag, but kept my earphones in. It takes quite a lot of skill to do that, you know. I tried to keep my steps even as I passed their table. But the fates must've thought that I'd already had a shit day, may as well make it worse. Clarisse turned around at the last minute, and saw the glasses and contacts. She'd always been able to pick me out when I was in disguise, and today was no different. I mean, she'd known me since I was three, so she should know. Unfortunately, that also meant she knew my real name.

"Hey!" She called, standing up. I inwardly groaned. She could easily beat me in a fight, because she was double my size.

"Clarisse. I really don't want to do this now, and you're going to cause a scene-" she cut me off. Rather rudely.

"I don't care. It's our tradition, Annie." I felt my eyes widen. Crap. I was pretty sure Chris didn't know my first name, and if he happened to recognize me now, asking around for an Annie Chase wasn't what I needed.

"Shut up, Clarisse. Not now."

"Why not, Chase? Why not?" I froze, and discreetly flicked my gaze towards Chris. He was staring at me, and I met his eyes. In that moment, I knew he knew. And now I wasn't in the Titans anymore...well, things could turn to hell just like that.

"Chase?" He asked. Clarisse spun on him. "You know her?" He just nodded mutely.

"Clarisse..." I had friends in the Titans, but as soon as they found out I quit, they'd turn their backs faster than I could even think about asking for help.

"Annie Chase..." Chris was muttering, trying to place the name.

"Annabeth," Clarisse corrected absentmindedly.

"Why the hell did you say that?" I demanded. She held up her hands.

"It's your name. Chill."

"No! You don't understand...Ro-Chris. Is she, ah, you know?" He shook his head. "Really? Now _that's_ interesting."

"I'm not what?" By now, the other three people in the café were staring at me intently.

"I'm in a fucking gang. Happy?" I asked dryly, spreading my arms.

"What, you? No way, Chase-"

"It's true, Clarisse," Chris said quietly. She turned to him.

"And how'd you know that, huh?"

"She's in my gang." Clarisse froze.

"Pardon?"

"I'm in a gang. The Titans," he clarified. What a great chat up line. Hey, I'm in the worst gang in Manhattan! Wanna date? I saw an Asian guy suddenly perk up from the corner of my eye. What was up with him? I raised my eyebrows at him, daring him to say something. And he did.

" _You're_ Chase?" My eyes trailed down to his wrist. Purple. That meant SPQR. Crap.

"Who's asking?"

"Zhang. Third in command of SPQR. I believe that's your equal?"

"Not anymore," I muttered. Chris furrowed his eyebrows.

"What?" He asked.

"I quit the gang." The words hung in the air. Everyone tried to process what I'd just said.

"But...how-you can't quit!" Chris protested.

"That's what Castellan said. Last time I checked, he was face down in an alley somewhere," I said seriously. He nodded.

"Threat processed."

"How far away was that alley?" Zhang asked slowly. I shrugged.

"I dunno. A block away?" He pointed to the door. I swore under my breath. Luke was lurking outside, looking mightily dodgy and suspicious.

"You might wanna hide. Shit's about to get serious."

Crap. I didn't think he'd be conscious for at least another five, ten minutes. I looked helplessly at the others. Chris wouldn't be able to help me as soon as Luke walked through that door. And if he knew the Titans were against me, he knew my real name. Why did I get myself in these situations?

"He knows I'm here. He's just biding his time 'til he comes in and...I don't know what he'll do." That much was the truth. Zhang looked conflicted, then nodded his head firmly.

"Levesque," he said, staring at the counter. A short girl who looked a few years younger than me hopped over the bench. She had chocolate skin, with curly brown ringlets and golden eyes. "You called?"

"Take Chase here out the back door. But you owe us," Zhang directed the last part at me. I swallowed, and nodded stiffly. Owing a gang was not good. But hey, it's pretty mild compared to the other shit I've got myself into. I mean, let's take a look at where I stand with everyone:

The Titans: Trying to kill me for quitting and beating up their leader

The Half-Bloods: Trying to kill me for beating up one of their high ranking members (I assumed)

SPQR: Indebted because they stopped Luke from killing me on sight

The Hunters: Wanting me to join them, but'll get annoyed if I say no again

The Amazons: The one gang who doesn't give a crap about me. Woo hoo.

As Levesque was hurrying me out the door, I heard Luke enter.

"Where is she?" Of course, everyone knew who he was talking about.

This was where Chris' loyalties would come into play. "Rodriguez?" Luke asked. I bit my lip, and dropped out of the window, but not before I could hear Chris' reply.

"She slipped out the front door when you came in." Oh, thank gods! But I knew that was the last time he'd cover for me. I ran off into the night, but looked back once to see Levesque watching me, a tiny smile on her face.

 **So there's the long lost ending of chapter six I forgot however long ago I uploaded it. And I'm sorry, but I got these new earphones a while ago and I had to put them in the story because...well, I'm a weirdo. The question of this chapter is...do you have any ideas for the story? Cause if you did then I could update faster...**

 **Seriously though. Who's your Trials of Apollo OTP? Your top two.**

 **Enough of that. 'Til later,**

 **HV**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

 **Okay, so this is kinda a boring chapter, but I wanted to get** ** _something_** **up, so here it is. As for the answer to my last question, since I said top two, Solangelo is obviously number one, but I also like Chiara and Damien. I dunno why, I just do. So yeah. Also, READ THE AUTHORS NOTE AT THE BOTTOM. Thank you.**

 **Enjoy!**

The next day at school, I was shattered. I'd just remembered my disguise as I slipped out the door. Piper was waiting by my locker, looking curious. Oh, no.

"How'd the showdown go?" I spun my lock, and took my books out of my locker as quickly as I could with my fatigued mind.

"With who? There were several," I replied blandly.

"Okay, worse than I thought," she said. "What, Luke, Jackson, Clarisse, who else did you manage to wind up?"

"The Half-Bloods want to kill me. The Titans want to kill me. SPQR's expecting their payment for bailing me out. The Hunters'll be up my ass if I don't agree to join them again. Maybe I should join the Amazons," I answered dryly. Piper's mouth dropped open.

"Annabeth, what the hell did I just hear?" Jason asked, popping up behind Piper. She scowled at him, before turning back to me, anticipating my response.

"The shit has officially hit the fan," I announce loudly. "I'm screwed." Jason's gaze travelled over my shoulder, and his face blanched.

"Um, you sure about that? Because I think you're about to get a second helping." I glanced over my shoulder to where he was not so subtly pointing. Clarisse and a blue eyed brunette guy I'd never paid any attention to before. I guessed I was about to find out that I knew him quite well.

"Annie-beth!" Clarisse ground out, grabbing my arm. Toughened street fighter that I was, I didn't flinch. She threw me against a locker in a more secluded part of the hallway.

"What's this about _you_ being in a _gang_?" She demanded. I raised my hands.

"I've actually just quit. But I was part of that _gang_ for ten years," I told her, putting the same emphasis on the word 'gang' as she had.

"Don't get smart with me, Bethy," she snapped. I felt my eyes roll skywards.

"Your point?" I asked boredly.

"What?"

"You dragged me over here for a reason, didn't you?" She was speechless. Was she serious? She'd pulled me over here _just_ to confirm I was in a gang?

"Listen Clarisse, and listen well. I'm not in the mood for your shit, so leave me alone or you're gonna find out what ten years of gang fights are like, all in less than five minutes. Chris here will tell that I was pretty high ranking back then, and you do _not_ want a piece of me," I whispered quietly, and glanced over at Chris. The look in his eyes confirmed my suspicion.

"Don't mess with her, Clarisse. We can deal with her in...other ways," he said hesitantly, as if still trying to comprehend that I'd quit the gang. I didn't blame him. He'd always been pretty cool, and now he was being forced to choose a side.

Clarisse looked conflicted, but obviously realized that I would pound her if she decided to fight me. "Watch your back, Annie. You being in a gang doesn't change anything." So why was she making such a big deal out of it?

I watched her head down the hallway before blinking and making my own way back to my friends.

"I suppose English is probably seeming pretty redundant to you right now, huh?" Jason asked jokingly, falling into step beside me. I groaned and met his eyes.

"That's not even funny."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm not Leo, don't expect my jokes to actually make you laugh." That made me crack a smile.

"You're implying that Leo's jokes are funny?" I inquired pointedly. He tilted his head, then shook it.

"You're right. Leo's jokes are terrible."

By the end of my last class, I was more than ready to go home. I didn't need to go to any gang meet-ups now, so I was free to do whatever I wanted. Except that maybe, that would get me killed. Life was ironic sometimes.

"Yo, Chase." I spun around, and nearly jumped at the boy who had appeared by my side. I'd seen him before - everyone had - but I'd never really talked to him before.

I tried to remember his name. "di Angelo, right?" He waved a lazy hand, then shoved it in the pocket of his dark jeans.

"Call me Nico."

"So," I said. "I suppose you want to talk to me?" He shrugged, examining a ring on his left hand.

"I wanted to know about your...status with the Titans," he replied.

"What's there to say? I quit," I said shortly.

He arched an eyebrow. "I heard you're also wanted dead by the Half-Bloods. I'm impressed."

"Yeah, well. Do you have anything important to say to me, or was that it?" I asked impatiently.

"Do you know much about a Percy Jackson?" He inquired. I racked my thoughts for anyone I knew named Percy.

"I don't know anyone named Percy, but..." I trailed off and clicked my fingers. "Jackson! Yeah, I have the displeasure of knowing him. In the Half-Bloods, yeah?" So now I knew his name. What do to with that knowledge?

Nico's eyes widened in disbelief. "No way, he's in the Half-Bloods?" I nodded. "That complicates things. Do you know anything else?"

"I mean, I've fought him multiple times, and punched him yesterday, actually," I said thoughtfully in reply. That only made his jaw drop lower.

"You _punched_ the second in command of the Half-Bloods?" He exclaimed incredulously. I made hushing gestures with my hands.

"Keep it down, will you? I don't need the whole gang on my ass right now," I whispered fiercely.

He looked apologetic. "Right. Sorry. I don't suppose you know if he was at the bank on Main Street a few days ago, do you? My employer; he's a curious man," he added at my confused expression.

"As a matter of fact," I drawled. "He was. So was I. I hit him over the head with a bag of money."

"Why...you know what, I don't want to know," he said, shaking his head. "Thanks, Chase. See you round." And then he was gone. I didn't bother looking around to try and find him. I had more important matters to attend to, like how I was going to get myself home without being murdered.

I peered around the corner, scanning the streets for anyone dangerous. I was still in Annabeth Carter mode, so hopefully no one would recognize me. But just as I was turning the corner, I heard voices. Oh gods.

"So I think we should hit on...shh, someone's coming!" Someone hissed. Which meant they were probably discussing illegal business. Which _also_ meant it was probably more gang plans. It would seem suspicious if I suddenly turned the other way, so I kept my chin up and continued walking through the alleyway. Sending a quick glance to the right, I saw the orange bandanas. Why?

They all watched me as I passed by. I didn't dare look at them, and only faltered when I heard the ringtone.

"This girl is on FIIRREEEEE!" Oh NO. Hopefully, it was someone else's phone. Someone with my exact same ringtone. Leo wouldn't be calling me now, right? No, surely not. Had I told him my phone had been stolen? I couldn't remember. But as soon as I made it to the next wall, I stuck my head around to see what was happening. An all too familiar person was answering the phone. MY phone.

"Hey, Annie?" Oh gods Leo. Why now? At least he didn't say Annabeth. That could've been bad.

Jackson was clearly revelling, but he must've realized that if he talked, it would be over, so he quickly shoved the phone in the brown-haired girl who I remembered he'd called Benvenuti's direction. She gave him a sour glance, and he made 'talk' motions with his hands, mouthing the words 'it's Chase'. She sighed, but complied.

"Hey. What's up?" A pause from Leo's end.

"You sound weird. Are you okay?" Good old Leo, blunt as ever.

Benvenuti didn't miss a beat. "You know how many fights I get into. My lip's swelling from some kind of bruise." Damn, she was good.

"Well, could you meet me at the workshop? I'm having some difficulties with the suspension." She sent a glare at Jackson like, 'what do I do now?' He shrugged.

"Keep him talking," he said quietly.

"Yo, who was that? I just heard someone else," Leo asked. I would commend him tomorrow.

"I'm at a café," she replied, then facepalmed in frustration.

"So the café was completely silent before?"

"Yeah."

Leo probably didn't believe that. "Hey, if you've got yourself another boyfriend, good for you. You don't needa hide it from me. But whatever, just come to the workshop, okay?" Then he must've hung up, because Benvenuti handed the phone back to Jackson.

"You're actually a decent liar," a blonde guy mused, and Benvenuti turned to scowl at him.

"No kidding, White," she said, then punched him in the arm. I wouldn't be surprised if she was the leader of the Half-Bloods, she seemed tough enough for it. He retorted with something I didn't catch, and the two began bickering.

"Hey! Shut it," Jackson said, turning the phnoe over in his hands. "Let me think in peace."

"You, thinking? Please," a red head interjected. To my total and utter surprise, she didn't get punched. "Besides, you're missing something pretty important right now."

"Oh yeah? And what's that, Dare?" He asked, rolling his eyes. The name 'Dare' rang a bell, but I didn't know where from.

The girl folded her arms and shifted her weight onto one foot. "Our private meeting isn't so private anymore." Oh my gods, _seriously_? Every freaking time. I tried to duck out of sight, but it was no use. Soon, I was surrounded by about seven people. Crap.

Jackson's face scrunched up. "Carter?" My eyes widened. How did he know that? "What are _you_ doing here?"

I had no cards left to play, except possibly the element of surprise. So I played along. "Do I know you?" Innocent enough.

His eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I..." he seemed to realize he was doing something stupid. "My friend knows you," he finished lamely. I smirked and raised my eyebrows.

"Really, Percy? What friend?" I had the satisfaction of seeing the look of confusion on his face before turning tail and sprinting down the street as fast as I could. I heard yells, and they started running after me. If any of them went to my school, they'd know who I was. My only anonymous alias was Beth Charman, so maybe I'd have to start going by that. I realized I couldn't go home, and if Leo wanted me at the workshop, well...who was I to disappoint? I'd just have to make a few detours. After all, I knew the ins and outs of this city like the back of my hand.

I dodged into another side alleyway, and turned down several streets, turning right every time. After about ten turns, not many of them were still following, but I knew a few most likely still were. I hung another right, poured on the speed, and turned left at the next intersection. Hopefully they'd just keep going right and not bother me. Pressing myself against a wall, I tried to control my breathing. I mentally calculated how far away from the workshop I was, and estimated I was around two minutes away, so I started sneaking down the footpath, trying to blend in with everyone else. Then I did something even more risky, and took off the wig. If they could only see my head, I'd be fine. Hopefully.

Panting, I ducked into the workshop and pressed myself against the wall where no passersby could spot me.

"Annie? You good there?" I looked up and saw Leo jumping down the stairs, spinning a hammer in his right hand.

I took a breath. "You know that phone call? It wasn't me you were talking to." He snapped his fingers, dropping the hammer in the process which landed on his foot. He swore, and hobbled down the rest of the stairs in agony.

"I knew you sounded weird! But, uh, who was it then?" I slid down the wall and rested my chin on my knees.

"You were talking to the Half-Bloods," I said dully. He stared at me for a second, then the grin dropped off his face.

"Holy shit Annie! Did I mess up your life even more than it's already been messed up?" Sometimes Leo's attitude was refreshing. Far different from the pricks I was used to working with.

As I was formulating my answer, the realization struck me. "Jackson knew who I was."

Leo hopped up on the counter and grabbed a pack of gum. "What d'ya mean? Doesn't he already know you?" After popping a piece of gum in his mouth, he offered the packet to me. "Want some?"

"No thanks," I replied. "But...I was in school disguise, and when he saw me, he said 'Carter'. That means he knows me from school." I tapped my hand against my knee, trying to figure out who he could be.

"Maybe he really is Peter," Leo mused. I nodded absentmindedly.

"Yeah," I said. "Maybe he is, and you and Jason won't have to do the forfeit."

"Now, I wouldn't mind _that_ ," Leo said, examining a blueprint for something. I was amazed by his ability to switch whatever activity he was doing within seconds. Even with ADHD, it was impressive. "Or, we could just not tell Jason so he does it on his own. That'd be hilarious."

"Yeah," I smiled. "So, you needed help with a suspension issue?"

He groaned, and put the blueprint out on the desk. "Ugh. If you can work this out, I salute you."

 **So, I've made an update schedule on my profile near the top so you don't have to scroll through all the random crap on there, but it says the estimated time of when I'm gonna update stuff.**

 **This chapter's question: What did you guys think of the Dark Prophecy (the second Trials of Apollo book) excerpt? If you don't know what the hell I'm talking about, there's an excerpt, so go read it.**

 **HV**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**

 **So, my computer's about to die, but I thought I'd get** ** _something_** **up because I'm getting more into this story at the moment, which means I need to post as much as possible so I don't lose interest. Anyway, this is basically just gonna confirm anything which I think you guys already knew, but yeah, if you didn't guess then here it is. Remember, I love ideas and reviews and that stuff, and if I know people are reading this, I'll probably be more likely to update, so there's your motivation. As for my last question, yeah I liked it, obviously, because I'm a total PJO nut.**

 **Enjoy!**

I was currently at Piper's house, well, if you could call it a house. It was more like a mansion, with old-fashioned Greek style pillars out the front and gardens all around it. The perks of being a movie star's daughter.

"So, what's up with _your_ life, Pipes?" I asked, flipping another page of my book absentmindedly. "It seems all we ever talk about nowadays is me."

Piper sent me a look as she threw her dirty jacket into her second wardrobe. "That's because you're actually interesting."

"Please," I scoffed. "I've had enough 'interesting' in my life to last me for eternity."

"Well," she began hesitantly. "There is _one_ update." I put down my book and propped myself up on my elbows. I was truly interested in Piper's life, because while it may not be exactly normal with her parents, it was the life of a teenage girl. I was curious on what I was missing out on.

"Tell me!" I tended to get a bit excited.

"Okay. So, I like this guy."

I leaned forward slightly, kicking my legs in the air. "So who's the lucky guy? Do I know him?" She flashed a wry grin.

"Yeah. Pretty well. See, it's not just some random guy." I waited for her to spill silently. "It's Jason."

"Oh my gods Piper, that's amazing!" I exclaimed. "You'd make a great couple." They really would. Leo and I would always talk about it in our spare time. He'd wanted to make bets, but I didn't want to get mixed up in a deal with him. He'd probably find some way to scam me even if I won.

"Yeah, well, it's not like he's interested. He's always telling me about this girl named Reyna, and I think he likes her." I'd heard him mention her once or twice, but nothing serious. He was most likely trying to make Piper jealous, if he really did like her, which I thought he might. I relayed this to her.

"Maybe. But honestly, I don't really wanna talk about my love life. Do _you_ have a secret boyfriend I don't know about?" She accused, pointing a finger at me. I raised my palms in surrender.

"What, you think I'm hiding a relationship with all the other stuff going on? I don't think so."

She sighed. "What a shame. You deserve someone good after Luke, Annie. Someone who's going to treat you well."

I smiled faintly. "Yeah, well. Anyone wanting the death threat hanging over their head can hit me up any time. But romance and going on proper dates...that's a little out of my league, Piper. I'm not exactly girlfriend material."

"You never know, Annie. You never know."

I sighed dramatically. "Can we please not use that name? I'll guilt trip you," I added threateningly.

"Whatever. I've actually got something I've been wanting to show you, if you wanna take a look," she offered. My curiosity was piqued.

"What is it?" I asked. She gestured for me to sit next to her with one hand and pulled out a notebook with the other. It looked reasonably old, with tattered corners and a faded red cover. I examined the ripped pages doubtfully.

"This is where I try to pick out who in school might be in gangs." I stared at her in disbelief. She actually had a journal dedicated to that stuff? Just how much spare time did she _have_? At my incredulous look, she grinned and elaborated. "You know me, I'm curious. Also, if any of them get on your bad side I can expose them," she added sheepishly.

"Well, who'd you get?"

She opened the book up and pointed at each person respectively. "That's Valentina Diaz, probable Half-Blood. That's one of Silena's friends. Chris, you already know. There's also a girl named Phoebe, dude named Castor, and I think Thalia might be-"

"Wait, _Thalia_?" We were reasonably close. She was blonde, with piercing blue eyes. She was away at the moment for a family vacation.

Piper nodded uneasily. "I think so. But...there's someone else you might wanna look into." I waited for her to continue. "You remember that fight in sixth grade you had with Peter? How he bullied you and then you beat him up in the bathroom?"

I rolled my eyes. "Does he ever let me _forget?_ What about it?"

"Well, he managed to get some good hits on you, even thought it was your fifth or sixth year in the gang, _plus_ he didn't want anyone else to witness it, right? Like he was scared people might see him fighting?"

"Well, yeah he didn't want people seeing us fight. We both would've gotten expelled."

"OR he didn't want people knowing just how well he could fight," Piper countered.

"Are you trying to tell me," I began. "That Peter, Peter _Johnson,_ is in a gang?" Something clicked at the back of my mind, but I didn't try and explore it.

"Annabeth, he also tries _very hard_ to put up a show of his personality. Like he's acting, maybe trying to hide something."

"You're very into this theory, aren't you?" At her serious look, I relented. "Alright, so maybe he's in a gang. So what? If he wanted to settle anything with me, he would have done it by now-" On the outside, I froze, but my thought process continued to whir. "Oh, he _knew_. He _must've_ known. And that's why..." I trailed off, locking eyes with Piper.

"PJ, Annabeth. They have the same initials."

"Looks like Jason and Leo won't be doing the forfeit. Jason might be sad, actually."

I couldn't _believe_ I'd overlooked it before. Now I thought about it, it was _so_ obvious. Plus, Peter had insulted me when I was in Annabeth _Chase_ mode, and Percy had known me as Carter when he saw me earlier.

Peter Johnson was Percy Jackson.

And my life was surely about to get a hell of a lot worse. Although, it was a pretty good piece of blackmail. Too bad he probably knew about me too.

I yawned as I munched on a waffle. "You're a seriously good cook, Pipes." Her eyes rolled.

"Don't go around telling Leo and Jason that. I don't need _them_ at my house, too."

I flapped a hand. "Whatever. We're meeting up with them later, anyway." We'd planned to go to the mall, since we hadn't had the chance to hang out as a group in forever. The boys would also be good bag carriers. I heard a knock at the door and glanced at my watch. "Seriously? It's only...eleven? Jeez, how long did we sleep in?"

She shrugged. "I think last nights revelation stunned you into sleep."

"Hmm," I mumbled, pouring on more syrup absentmindedly. "I just can't believe I didn't see it earlier. It was so obvious."

"He had a very good disguise, which means he must really _not_ want to be recognized," Piper paused. "Huh. That's some pretty good blackmail."

"On the other hand, he probably knows who I am as well, which means he can hold that over my head."

Piper lifted her fork, twirling it thoughtfully before meeting my gaze. "I suppose you'll have to work out a deal."

"Yeah," I muttered under my breath. "That'll go down well."

"Hey, another shop that _doesn't_ sell clothes. That means we _don't_ have to go in there, right?" Leo asked anxiously, glancing at the four bags already on his arms. "Because I don't think I-" That's when I spotted him across the food court. I felt my eyes narrow, and I tapped Piper's shoulder.

"Look who's at the mall." Jason followed my finger, and raised his eyebrows at me in confusion.

"Peter? Why do you care?" Quietly, I shared my realization with him. His fists tightened at his sides. I held up a hand.

"Don't pick a fight with him, he'll beat your ass into next year. Don't argue, you know it's true," I added when he started to protest. "Besides, he hasn't seen us, so maybe-" Just then, he glanced over and flashed me a smirk. Did he know I knew? Did he think I suspected? How could he? "I'm going over there."

"What?" Piper exclaimed. "You can't!"

"Uh, I really don't think that's a good idea," Leo put in nervously.

Jason just shrugged. "You already know what I think."

"Guys, it's the middle of a _mall_. What's he gonna do?" I said, and eased myself away from them. Peter stopped walking when he saw me approaching and flashed a jaunty wave. Okay, that was a dead giveaway.

I came to a halt in front of him. "What game do you think you're playing?" I demanded. He grinned innocently.

"None right now, I'm at the mall." I shoved him, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Show me who you _really_ are."

He gestured around us. "In the middle of a crowd of people? Besides, I think you already know," he added with a wink. I nearly stomped a foot in frustration. "But if you really wanna know, I'm gonna need to see something from you too, Blondie." He'd dropped the whole Peter act altogether, which slightly surprised me.

"No way-fine. You know what, you have a deal."

He lowered his voice. "How about we go somewhere more...private?"

I arched an eyebrow. "You can't pull anything here, Jackson, so don't even try."

"Oh, you'd be surprised, Chase. Flirting can be anything these days." I felt my jaw drop.

"Are you really going to threaten me-"

"I didn't think it was threatening. But come on, I promise I won't murder you," he paused for a second. "Well, not today, anyway. If you die, I want people watching."

"What kind of sick bastard are you?" I hissed at him as he grabbed my hand and pulled me along behind him. "And let...go...of me!" I tried to break free, but his grip was too tight.

"Not on my watch, Annie," he said playfully, but with a darker undertone. "Or I might just have to call up some friends who owe me favours."

I didn't like the sound of that, so I stayed silent. He shoved me into one of the disabled bathrooms. "So, how are we gonna do this?" I put a hand on my hip and stared him down, narrowing my eyes.

"I'm not negotiating with _you_ , you'll just twist everything and not honour your end of the bargain."

He nodded. "Excellent, if you're not going to argue, that means what I say goes. So, I'll have your wig and contacts, please," he said expectantly, holding out his hand. I was tempted to snap his wrist. "The contacts, at least." I decided he already knew who I was, and my normal eyes were apparently pretty scary, so I obliged, slipping their case back in my pocket. It's not like it was hard evidence, either. Plenty of other people had grey eyes. Maybe that'd help him open up.

"Well, it really is you. That also means it was you eavesdropping on my conversation yesterday," he chided.

"It was _my_ phone," I growled, then it hit me. "Is that how you figured out who I was? Because I was eavesdropping?"

He shrugged. "Among other things. So, now that we're here, anything you feel like doing?" He asked suggestively. I narrowed my eyes, and zeroed my deadly grey gaze on him.

"Not with you," I said harshly, before pushing past him to open the door.

"Don't you care about people seeing you?"

I yanked the door open. It was only my eyes, anyway. "Good. Maybe it'll scare them off."

But obviously he wasn't satisfied with that, and he gripped my arm. "Uh, uh, uh. We're not done here yet."

So I put my question out into the open. "You know, I realized that you beating me up was revenge for sixth grade. Why did you wait that long? Besides, how'd you know it was me back then?" He gave me a smirk which was slightly sheepish. That was probably the first humbling thing I'd seen from him. Then he ruined it by leaning closer to me, so I could feel his breath on my face.

"Oh, I only found out a few days ago, when a certain... _informant_ of mine overheard it at a café. Careless, Chase," he tsked, shaking his head in fake disappointment. I glared at him.

"So you just beat up some random girl because she wouldn't kiss you? _Talk_ about desperate," I said quietly, a smirk gracing my lips.

"I'll have you know that I'm very popular with the ladies." He looked me over. "Well, most ladies."

I tilted my head. "You mean when you're not being a dick?"

"Sure," he replied, his jaw tightening slightly.

"Oh, good," I said. "I thought you _actually_ meant people liked you."

His look of confusion made me snort. "What do you mean?" Was this guy serious?

"Are you really that dumb, Seaweed Brain?" I asked, bringing back the old nickname. "You're never _not_ a dick, which means-" His eyes narrowed and he cut me off.

" _Whatever_ , Chase. And you're really bringing back that stupid nickname?" I was getting under his skin. Good. People get angry, they get sloppy. Messy. Time to put _him_ on the defensive, for once. I figured he wasn't just going to reveal that he was still Jackson, because even though he knew that I knew, he still had his disguise on. Stepping forward, I backed him up against the wall, making sure I could still get to the door for my quick escape. I placed my hands on either side of him, and leaned in close to him.

"So, Jackson, I have three words for you," I whispered.

He arched an eyebrow. "And what would they be, Wise Girl?" Bringing back his original and creative nickname, was he? I winked, ripped the wig off his head and sprinted to the door, making sure his hair was black and confirming my hunch, though I doubted the Peter I knew would say half the things in our conversation. "Later, Seaweed Brain!"

I could hear his shouts behind me, and I ducked into a nearby shop. I watched in amusement as he ran out into the food court, and looked around furiously. I texted the others, and they agreed to meet me in the Adidas store. I was perched behind a couple of mannequins so I stayed out of sight, and when Piper put a hand on my shoulder and asked what was up, I stared out of the shop window and smiled.

"I just outsmarted Percy Jackson."

 **Hey, so the question of the chapter is this, because I have literally nothing better to ask: Greek or Roman?**

 **Now, we've got that outta the way, if you feel like reviewing, cool, it might help me update faster! And that brings this chapter to a close.**

 **HV**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**

 **So, another chapter where nothing much actually happens, woohoo. But really, I'll try and pick up the action in the next chapter. Hopefully. In answer to last chapters question, Greek.**

 **So here is the not-so-long-as-usual awaited chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

The dreaded day had arrived. Monday. Aka, the day I have to face Percy/Peter at school. I wasn't sure what to call him anymore. I wasn't even sure who he _really_ was, deep down. But my nerves were too dominant for me to focus on that.

"Are you okay, dear? You're looking awfully pale," my mom asked, concern showing in her eyes.

My stomach twisted. "Fine, Mom. You know Jackson?"

"The horrid boy who attacked you?"

"Yeah. Well, um...turns out, he's Peter Johnson." The following silence hung heavily in the air. Then:

"I'll kill him. Annie, no one has the right to treat you like that-" I cut her off.

"Mom, it's...it's okay. You don't want to meet him." I looked down at my watch. "I'm gonna miss the bus, I've gotta go!" I raced out of the house before she could stop me. I didn't want her getting hurt because of me.

The ride to school was relatively normal. Jason joined me ten minutes after I got on, and took in my pale face.

"He's not going to pull anything at school, Annabeth. It'll be okay," he said encouragingly. I shook my head.

"What about the mall?"

"He didn't actually hurt you there, did he?"

"No," I replied quietly.

He nodded, satisfied. "Then there you go. He's not stupid enough to try and-" His eyes widened, then narrowed into a glare. "Oh, great."

Percy (I'd decided to call him that. It made him seem more real, for some reason, even if he was still wearing his disguise) slid into the seat behind us and leaned forward.

"So, what are we talking about?" He asked casually, one side of his mouth quirking upwards. "I wouldn't want to miss out on the conversation."

"It's a shame, we were just finishing up," Jason replied with false sincerity. "But I'm sure someone _else_ would just love to talk to you." Said as if he couldn't believe why anyone would ever want to sit with him. At that moment, someone intervened.

"Yo, that's _my_ seat." I glanced at up Thalia Gibbs gratefully. She was in her typical punk clothes, scowling in all her blonde haired, blue eyed glory. "Move it, Peter."

He grinned lazily up at her. "Hey, Thalia. There's still room on this seat, you know," he patted the free space next to him. Her scowl deepened.

"Why are you even sitting there? You hate us."

"Do I? I wasn't aware," he drawled, smirking. Thalia had obviously had enough of his behaviour, because she yanked him off the seat and took his place.

"What's up, guys?" Percy apparently didn't appreciate being shoved by girls, and he sat himself down opposite us. My eyes rolled skywards as I tried to tamp down my frustration. Then I smiled. "Um, Annie, you okay? That smile looks kinda evil."

I met Percy's eye, and spoke loudly. "Why don't you just leave us alone, Per-" His eyes widened and he immediately cut me off.

"What are you getting at, Cha-sorry, Carter?" He asked innocently. So he was desperate for his cover to not be blown. I, however, couldn't care less anymore.

"Don't you know, Ja-ohnson, I'm not in the game anymore. I quit."

His ground his teeth together. "Maybe you're not in the game, but you're still a player. And guess what? I'm the coach." With that, he headed to a different part of the bus. I saw him fist pump, and mutter under his breath, "been waiting to use that line for _ever_." I felt my lips curve upwards despite myself, and quickly rearranged my features into a frown. He'd just reminded me of a little kid, which made me think that maybe he did have a nice personality under all his tough exterior.

Yeah, right. And I was Nicki Minaj.

"How was Greece, Thals?" Jason was asking as I brought my attention back to the conversation. Her eyes lit up.

"Oh my gods, it was amazing! We stayed in Athens, mostly, but it was _so cool_..."

I stared out of the window, not paying much attention to their conversation when Thalia's question snapped me out of my daze. "Hey, Annie, what was that with Johnson back there?" I'd never told Thalia about me being in a gang, mainly because she had a major vendetta against them and I didn't want her to ditch me. But now Piper had told me that Thalia could very possibly be in a gang, so I wasn't sure.

"I really don't know." And I didn't. I had no clue what my life was becoming. But the worst so far had to be when I saw _him_ in my first period History class.

"Yo, Carter, you look like you've seen a ghost," Malcolm whispered to me from across the desk. We sat in groups of four in this class, and I had Malcolm, Thalia and Drew.

"Oh my gods, he's _so_ hot," Drew murmured in awe. I resisted the urge to hit her.

Our teacher, Mr Bines, was standing up the front of the class, his ever-present scowl plastered onto his face. "Today, class, we have a new teacher in training. He will be sitting in on this weeks classes," he drawled in monotone.

"Maybe he'll replace the old sod," Malcolm muttered. For some reason, Thalia was slightly paler than normal as well, which was odd. I chalked it up to nothing.

"Hey, I'm Luke. But you're supposed to call me Mr Cabell." Why was he here? In _my_ class? There was only one reason I could think of, and it wasn't good.

Luke Castellan was here for revenge on yours truly.

"Anything you don't understand?" I looked up and my eyes met blue ones. Shit.

"No, I think I've got it, thanks," I replied calmly. Drew hissed beside me.

"Mr Cabell, I'm not sure I get question four," she said, and I rolled my eyes at the others. They stifled chuckles. But did Luke just help Drew then move on? _Noooo_. He actually sat down with us and started up a conversation.

"Why did you want to come here? It sucks," Thalia said, and I was grateful for her bluntness for once.

Luke grinned at her. "Oh, a... _friend_ of mine goes here. I thought I'd try and re-connect."

"Really? How interesting," I said through gritted teeth. He turned his intense gaze to me.

"Mmm. I thought she'd appreciate the gesture."

"Sometimes if people ignore you, it means they don't want to see you."

"I'd quite like to see her. Surely my needs count, too?"

"Wants. That's a want, not a need," I corrected, aware of the others' eyes whipping back and forth between us.

"Oh, you never know," he replied casually, buffing his nails on his shirt hem. "In this case, I really do believe it's a necessity."

I shrugged. "Everyone's different." Shortly after that, he left our table. I braced myself for the interrogation.

"Annie, do you know that dude?" Malcolm asked. "Cause it sure seemed like there was some history."

I was sick of lying to everyone. "He's my ex," I said flatly. Thalia's eyebrows rose into her hairline, but she didn't comment. Why was she acting so strange?

"Really? _You_ managed to score _him_?" Drew questioned sceptically.

"Yeah, and you didn't," I shot back. "And-oh, look, there's the bell! Well, I guess I've got to go. Talk later, guys!" I yelled behind me as I darted out of the room. I had something to focus on right then, which I'd completely forgotten over the weekend.

Percy still had my phone. And I intended to get it back. I just needed a plan, which I was pretty good at.

I figured he'd have it on him to use as blackmail, and since he didn't have a bag or anything, that left his pockets. I wasn't anxious to have a repeat performance of when he stole it, so that made it slightly trickier. Luckily, I had a friend who might help me.

"Annie, I've told you, I like Charlie now. I'm not going to go around and grope some other guy. What if he saw?" Silena told me firmly, applying her make up in the bathroom mirror. Silena was known for her flings around campus, so she'd been the first friend I'd come to. She'd chosen the absolute worst time to start focusing on one guy.

"Please, Silena. Maybe he'll see, get jealous and ask you out!" I suggested desperately. She met my eyes.

"I'd love to help you, really, but-"

"Please," I begged. Yes, I, Annabeth Chase, was begging. "He's out to ruin my life." That was true. "That phone could possibly ruin other peoples lives!" If they decided to call me. "You're my only hope."

"Annabeth, it can't be _that_ bad," she exclaimed in exasperation.

"If only you knew," I grumbled, then added in a louder voice. "Fine. But if you change your mind, I'd really appreciate it." I left the bathroom in defeat. I hadn't had high hopes for it anyway.

The rest of the day dragged on, painfully slow. I was at a gridlock. I couldn't completely remove myself from the gang situation without getting my phone back, and even then it would be extremely difficult. For once in my life, I had no idea what to do.

 **Percy's POV**

"I can't believe I lost it," I muttered again, annoyance lacing my words. The thing was, I didn't even know who had been the one to take it. Hell, for all I knew, it had fallen out my back pocket.

"Must've been your karma finally realizing you needed some attention," Rachel paused. "Not that _that_ would be enough to make up for everything you've done."

I glared at her. "I thought you were on my side, Dare." The amused look in her eyes hardened to a fiercer look, and she turned her intense green gaze on me.

"I really thought you'd understand after all this time," she said thoughtfully. "Then again, I never thought you'd change this much, so I guess my thoughts aren't always accurate."

"Rach...you know I have to look like this bigshot bad guy so the other gangs don't try to mess with us," I explained, holding up my hands. "And what d'you mean, I've changed? I've always been a fucked up kid."

"Yeah, you're fucked up. I'm fucked up, too. But nowadays, you're always messing around and taking the piss out of your life. You want an example?" She asked as I opened my mouth to protest. "Fine. When I go out with other guys, I go on actual _dates_. What do you do? Screw them in the backseat of your car?"

I didn't know what to say to that. Rachel Elizabeth Dare and I had a complicated relationship. We'd started dating sometime after I joined the gang, but ever since I tried to put up this façade, I'd decided trying to stay a good citizen who followed rules and helped old ladies carry their groceries and only kissed girls on the second date was too hard, too much effort when either way, my life was shitty. So I started fooling around, just taking what I had and using it to desensitize myself from emotion. It wasn't a nice way to live, but it wasn't like I could be a star student who came top of the class in everything and make floral arrangements in my spare time. So I was stuck being the wreck I was.

"Exactly. Now you're trying to terrorize this girl just because...why? Is it part of a new game of yours?"

"Don't talk about Chase like she's just some innocent bystander," I snapped. "She's in the _Titans_ , Rachel, for crying out loud! What do you _want_ me to do, get all buddy-buddy, form an alliance? Um, no."

"Was," she said quietly. "She _was_ in the Titans. Now she's not. I don't know why you're still getting all worked up about it. I think you're interested in her."

I gaped, my jaw hanging wide open. I quickly closed it. "What, you think I want to _date her_ now?"

She scowled. "No, I think you're curious about her. Not romantically. But I'm glad she got her phone back, because she doesn't need an asshole like you messing up her life." With that, she spun on her heel and walked away from me. I didn't even call after her with a smartass retort. But who was she kidding? I was Percy Jackson, no one except for Rachel would even try to question me.

Except, I thought absentmindedly, staring blankly at the alley wall opposite me. Except maybe for her.

"Dude, you really need to stop spacing out. This is _Hunter territory_ , in case you hadn't noticed."

"Of course I noticed," I retorted to Austin. Under my breath, I added, "Why is it always _me_ who has to go on these stupid scouting missions?"

"Maybe because you're second in command, which basically means you just do the dirty work of Dionysus," Kayla suggested dully. Dionysus was the reluctant leader of the Half-Bloods, and if he wasn't so high up in the rankings, he'd be knocked off for wanting out. But he was, so we had to deal with his shit. I hated the guy, but it's not like anyone actually liked me either, so I didn't say anything.

I shot her a dirty look, and was about to chew her out when something caught my eye. A smirk crossed my features, and I glanced over my shoulder to give my orders. "You and Lake go scout 'round the east side, okay? I'll take a look over here." Kayla looked suspicious, but she didn't question me. Of course she didn't. Austin quickly followed her, and I refocused on the two girls below me. Perfect.

"Hello, ladies," I greeted smoothly, dropping down from the window ledge I was perched on. "Having a nice chat, are we?"

Zoe and Annabeth both turned menacing scowls in my direction. If I wasn't Percy Jackson, I might've been intimidated.

I tsked, waving a finger. "Now, now. That isn't any way to greet a friend, is it?"

"Maybe if you were a friend, Jackson, I would play nice," Zoe began. "But you are not, so I won't."

I ignored her, and turned to Annabeth. "So, joining the Hunters, hey? You know my gang is a lot bigger, plus you can still have at the boys," I added with a wink. She looked at me in disgust, but then her eyebrows lifted, and her frown turned into a smirk.

"If I have to join another gang, I'd like to join one whose second command isn't easy to pickpocket," she held up her newly returned phone. "Sloppy work, I must admit, Jackson."

"Ah, the phone. You must be curious as to where I kept it all that time," I mused, raising my eyebrows tauntingly. "But you probably wouldn't want to know."

"Why are you always such an asshole?" She demanded, turning her full attention to me as Zoe watched on in amused interest.

I spread my hands wide. "Of course I'm an asshole. Where else would all my shit come from?" She obviously hadn't expected me to insult myself, and she got right up in my face.

"You got that right. Everything that comes out of your mouth is shit. What I want to know is what kind of family didn't hug you enough for you to turn out like that?" I tried to stop my hand, but it didn't work. My palm hit the side of her face with a loud crack. She looked shocked, but stared at me evenly, which just made me even angrier. The fact that I was letting her get under my skin wasn't helping, either.

I leant in so our noses were almost touching. "You listen, Chase. You don't say anything, _anything_ , ever again about my family, or one day, you're never gonna see yours again," I said quietly, looking her right in the eyes. I felt a rush of satisfaction at the fear I could see in her eyes, but I also felt a tiny pinch of guilt. Quickly as it had come, I stamped it out and strode away from her. "See you at school tomorrow."

I could practically feel her frustration as I walked away.

 **So! What'd you think? This chapters question: should I keep writing in Percy's POV? I'll only do it if you guys want me to. Also, sorry I couldn't do the dots over the e in Zoe's name, I just haven't figured out how to do that on my computer yet. Anyway, hopefully I'll update soon, and if you have any ideas feel free to review or PM me.**

 **HV**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**

 **Hey! So, my elbow hurts like hell and it's been hurting for five hours straight after I banged it, but I really wanted to put up another chapter, so yeah. Hope none of you had heart attacks for me updating two days in a row.**

 **IMPORTANT: CHAPTER SIX NOW HAS AN EXTRA PAGE OR SO FOR THE ENDING. GO CHECK IT OUT!**

 **Enjoy!**

I peered around the corner, scanning the park for any signs of my friends. Leo popped his head over my shoulder. Thalia stuck hers over the other.

"You see them?"

I shook my head. "No, not ye-wait! There they are, over by the swings." Leo, Thalia and I were, ahem, totally _not_ spying on Piper and Jason. This morning, Jason had asked Piper if she wanted to go for a walk with him, and Leo had suggested we see if he finally asks her out.

Leo rubbed his hands together. "Okay. So, if we don't think he's gonna make a move, we'll have to intervene. I say we-" I cut him off before he could suggest some crazy plan.

"We can just text him and tell him to hurry it up," I suggested. Leo stared at me blankly, while Thalia was smirking.

"Well, I guess that could work just as well as the fireworks...but it wouldn't look as cool," he added under his breath. I grinned, then turned to face the two lovebirds. Except there wasn't two of them anymore. I elbowed Leo, who craned his neck around the wall we were perched behind. "Woah woah, woah. Who is _that?_ "

A dark-haired girl had joined the conversation, but we still couldn't hear it.

"We need to hear that," Thalia stated, as if reading my mind. I nodded, and pointed to a bush a few metres away from them.

"How about we hide there? But we'll have to crawl over there."

"Done. This is New York, it's not like it's the weirdest thing they've ever seen." We crouched down, and began crawling commando-style towards the bush. I winced when my sleeve caught on a rock, and nearly ripped. Thalia got there first, followed by me. When I got there, I sat up on my knees and stared through the leaves. Leo came up beside me and pulled a few branches apart to give him a better view.

"Oh, Piper, this is Reyna," Jason introduced. "And Reyna, this is Piper." I felt Leo hiss next to me.

"What's he doing? He's gonna screw this up!" I motioned frantically for him to be quiet, but Piper's eyes flicked in our direction anyway. I dropped my head into my palms, and Thalia's eyes rolled.

"Hey, I'm just gonna go to the bathroom. I'll be back," she told the other two, and headed straight in our direction. A Porta Potty was conveniently behind our hiding spot. I cursed quietly.

Piper squatted in front of us, an incredulous expression on her face. "Are you guys _kidding_ me? What gives?" Leo, Thalia and I exchanged a guilty look.

"You see...we wanted to get Jason to ask you out, so we followed you to make sure he did?" Leo's answer came out as more of a question. Piper's glare made him shrink.

"You guys...whatever. Reyna's here, what do I do?" She asked desperately. I couldn't think of an answer, but I noticed Jason and Reyna still talking. I tilted my head to try listen better.

"...you know you could put her in danger, it's not fair to her." That was Reyna.

"I know, but I really like her," Jason was saying in response. Leo, Thalia and Piper were oblivious

"You've just been promoted, Grace. You know what that could do?" I sat bolt upright, which rustled the bush a little more than I would've liked. Both conversations on either side of me ceased. Shit.

"Uh, Annabeth? You okay?" Thalia asked. I shook my head, and saw Jason coming towards us. Oh, boy. I decided not to wait for him to get here and see all of us, so I stood up and walked towards him, making a 'stay there' gesture behind my back.

"Annabeth? What are you-?" I interrupted him before he could finish.

"'Just been promoted', huh?" I asked, my eyes narrowing. "She just called you Grace. So, Girwell was an alias?" The fact was right on the tip of my tongue, but I didn't dare say it. He bit his lip.

"I was meaning to tell you guys, but I didn't want the others to be put in danger, and I didn't want you to hate me," he answered quietly. I felt my glare fade. I understood how confused and trapped he must be feeling. He was practically walking on eggshells by being friends with me, and I admired how he hadn't run away from it all.

I kept my voice lowered so no one else would be able to hear our conversation. "I won't tell anyone. But, two things. Firstly, which one?"

He didn't need me to elaborate. "SPQR. What's the second thing?"

"If your last name's Grace, well, there's a Grace in the Hunters, and I was wondering if you were related?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm an only child. It's not that uncommon a name."

"Alright. Well, I'll leave you to...do whatever you need to do." I coughed. "Ask out Piper."

He scowled at me. "Wait, why are you here in the first place?" I didn't know what to say, because I didn't really want to tell him I'd been spying, so I ran back to Thalia and Leo, and yelled at them over my shoulder.

"Abort mission! I repeat, abort mission! He's onto us!"

 **Percy's POV**

I glanced around, my hand hovering over my knife. I'd gotten myself surrounded by a group of SPQR members, with a few Hunters and Amazons thrown into the mix, because why not? I'd been on a mission for Dionysus (I was starting to believe Kayla about me just doing his dirty work), and I was supposed to meet some other dude under the name of Hermes. But it looked like I'd been sent to my death. Except I wasn't ready to die just yet.

"Jackson, explain to me just _why_ , exactly, you're in Hunter territory," Grace asked me, glaring with her fierce blue eyes. I shrugged, glancing around the circle I was trapped in.

"I mean, it's also SPQR _and_ Amazon territory, so I was pretty proud of myself for managing to piss off three gangs, all in less than five minutes!" I replied cheerfully, trying to stall as I analysed my surroundings for a possible escape. There wasn't one. I'd stupidly gotten myself caught in a dead-end alley way, so where was I supposed to go?

"Quit being smart, and answer the question," an Amazon snarled at me. I thought her name was Doris. Doris Veela, or something like that.

"Well, Veela-"

"It's Veal," she snapped, cutting me off. I shot her an annoyed glance.

"Alright then, _Veal_. Thanks for the compliment. I agree, I _am_ pretty smart," I replied, grinning widely. I was quick to continue when I caught sight of her glare. "But, to answer your question, I'm here to meet up with my girlfriend. Have some quality time together. You probably scared her off."

Grace snorted loudly. "Bullshit. I know for a fact you don't do girlfriends, Jackson. So, what's the real reason? Recruiting? Scouting? Or I might just have to persuade you in...other ways," she added, pulling out a long knife. I prayed to every deity I'd ever heard of for a miracle. I always got myself out of these situations, so why was now any different?

"I say kill him while we have the chance," a tall blonde boy with stringy hair piped up.

Ramirez-Arellano (I normally just called her Arellano, because who can seriously be bothered saying both names? Not me) snapped at him. "Shut up, Octavian. Killing him would get us a large enemy in the Half-Bloods. We've got to be careful about this." I saw a newcomer peer into the alley, who then briskly kept walking. I could've left it, but I was Percy Jackson, of course I wasn't going to waste an opportunity to escape.

"Hey! Blond dude! Where you going?" I called loudly. Half the people around me turned to look, which wasn't enough to give me a chance to escape. Damn it.

The guy looked conflicted, but eventually sighed and walked down the alley. "Is this Jackson?"

I nodded. "That would be me, yeah. So, you've heard about me?" He shot me a vicious glare, and came to a stop two metres away from me.

"Yeah, I have," he said quietly, then glanced over my shoulder. "Arellano?" She gave him a quick nod, which I didn't understand until I got a fist right in my face. I stumbled back, but didn't do anything to try and stop my now bleeding nose, except for wiping some blood off of my mouth. It was a shame, I'd used the wrist with my bandana on it, so it now looked a very appealing shade of red.

"What the fuck was that?" I spat, blood landing on the concrete.

The guy glared at me. "That was for my friend. Don't kill him, she'll want revenge." Well, then. I mean, I wasn't being killed now, but the blonde guy sounded like he was just delaying it. Without warning, he kicked me with enough force to knock me over. I braced myself and landed on my elbow, which was probably one of the dumbest things I've ever done, and even I'll admit that that's saying something. The jolt numbed it for a second, but the pain flooded in right after. I had no alternative but to clutch it in a ball and hope that everyone forgot about this embarrassing scene.

Not likely.

The guy kicked me again (on my elbow, too. Douche) and nodded sharply at Arellano. I lay my head down and tried to even my breathing. I felt like I was going to puke or pass out. Both options sucked. I realized I'd probably broken something, and would therefore have to get a cast, ultimately blowing my cover at school, which would not be good. I'd just have to avoid school til it got better. If I showed up and someone followed me home, they could hurt my mom and Paul and my half-brother Tyson.

I opened my big mouth as the dude walked away. "Not strong enough to fight me unless I'm down, huh? Who are you, anyway? If you're new to this scene, beating a guy up while he's on the ground isn't a very heroic way to begin your career."

He turned back, eyes blazing. "Actually, I'm a praetor of SPQR. Not that you'd know what that meant."

"Ah, a praetor. So, what's your name, hotshot?"

"Name's Grace," he replied roughly. "Now-"

"Wait," Grace, uh, the girl Grace, interrupted. "Jason Grace?" I wondered why she'd just used his first name, because that was a major no-no in our world (unless you didn't care if people knew where you went to school or lived or whatever, but most people do), but then something dawned on me. Several things happened then, in quick succession.

"Hold on, are you Jason _Girwell_?" I exclaimed in shock. I did not see that coming. His hair looked darker in the shadow, and his eyes were now blue, but I could clearly tell it was him now I was looking. "Why are you hanging out with Carter?"

Jason looked massively confused. "How do you know that?"

Girl Grace was looking seriously conflicted. "You...you're my brother!" Complete silence. No one had been expecting that.

"What do you mean? I'm an only child," he replied.

"Dad always told me Beryl was dead, but...you must be living with her. You tried to eat a stapler when you were two, right? That's how you got that scar by your mouth." I resisted the urge to burst out laughing at that, and instead watched on with interest.

"How...no way. I don't...I don't even know you," Jason muttered. Grace smiled ruefully.

"Oh, you do. But, uh, I'm not going to tell you right here. I think I've already said enough," she said somewhat sheepishly.

I cleared my throat loudly, gaining everybody's attention again. "Excuse me, but if you're going to kill me, could you please get on with it?"

"We are not going to kill you today, Jackson," Zoe Nightshade chimed in. "I am sure that your gang will do that when you fail your mission." Aw, shit. Where the hell _was_ this Hermes dude, anyway?

"Well, in that case, I'd better be off," I said, standing up and cradling my arm. "Bye now!" Then I hightailed it out of there, not my failed mission barely even crossing my mind.

 **So that's that. I've decided to answer my reviews in my authors notes (I mean, there's not** ** _that_** **many of them, so it's not like it'll take up much space). So:**

 **ionlyreadthebest: I honestly don't view my story as that amazing, but if you think it's worthy of that, then that's seriously cool. I really appreciate the vote of support**

 **Guest: Thanks for the vote of confidence, mate. Glad you're liking it**

 **Macy113456789009 (and yes, I copied and pasted the numbers): I'll keep continuing as long as I get signs that people like it. Thanks for reading my story!**

 **Sally Stevens: I will admit I haven't actually worked out the full plot, and I just write what I think might work (as I do with everything. I'm nothing if not unconventional). So, I can actually answer all your questions without anything being a spoiler, so in order:**

 **I think you know the answer to the first one, but yeah, Jason is a member of SPQR**

 **Hazel is, in fact, in SPQR, and I just noticed I forgot to put like half of chapter six up, so thanks for making me go back to check where I put Hazel in. But yeah, she's in chapter six if you go back and look at it.**

 **And Benvenuti is Chiara, if you've read Trials of Apollo. I've got a few ideas up my sleeve for Silena, but haven't decided on one yet.**

 **So that was chapter 10. Hope you enjoyed it**

 **HV**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**

 **I'm seriously on a roll with updating. I'm also feeling good about myself because I'm helping out with a charity next month, so maybe my good mood'll keep me updating. That, and reviews. Reviews are good too. But here's the chapter, so;**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Percy's POV**

The next day was...awkward, to say the least. I had class with Jason first up, which I was positive would be filled with smiles and conversations about unicorns. Um, no. So yeah, I was _really_ looking forward to that. I'd actually gotten to school early today, because I had to get a ride in with Paul, my mom's husband and sophomore English teacher at Goode. I was the only one in the classroom.

Bored, I turned to the cat sitting on the teachers desk. Yeah, one of those golden ones that waves its paw at you. "How do you stand sitting there all day? I've been here for like ten minutes and I'm already bored as hell." It didn't reply. Which kinda disappointed me, because it would've broken the boredom. I tapped my foot, looking around the room. And then _she_ walked in. I plastered a smirk onto my face.

"Well, well. Look who it is."

She sat down in a chair at the front of the room, as far away from me as possible. Because of course a delinquent like me sat at the back. "Cliché line. Way overused," was all I got in response. So I tried again, aiming for something that might shock her into talking. Besides, I liked messing with her. It was fun.

"So. Funny story, I met your pal Jason yesterday," I began casually. "Did you know he-"

"SPQR. Yeah, I know." She'd just given away vital information, and she spun around to face me when she realized this, her grey eyes frantic. I already knew, of course. But did she know that I already knew? No, no she did not. I grinned.

"Oh, really? How _interesting_ ," I drawled, raising my eyebrows. "Wonder how he'll feel when he finds out you told me." Her eyes widened a fraction, and I felt a twinge of guilt for blackmailing her. Then it disappeared, and I shrugged the weird emotion off. No need to worry about that now. I leaned forward on my elbows and continued my reign of terror. "Imagine how _betrayed_ he'll feel."

"He'll understand," Annabeth replied slowly, as if trying to convince herself. I tutted.

"Ah, but he won't. He's been trying to keep it _very secret_. And now you've told the city's biggest bully who he really is." I mean, maybe the guy had fractured my elbow last night, but that didn't mean anything. "You never know what I might do," I added darkly.

She arched an eyebrow, which I thought was pretty brave considering who she was talking to. "You won't hurt him," she said confidently, tilting her chin upwards. I met her eyes.

"I recall I once beat you up. More than once, actually, so why would he be any different? But I have something else to add." I was about to be dubbed the biggest douche in the world. Although, I was probably already right up there. "Did it ever occur to you...that there might be a reason Jason didn't tell you he was in a gang?"

"He didn't want me to hate him. He told me himself," she said, jutting out her chin. Hmm. I might have to try a bit harder.

"Did you also know that he has a sister?" I questioned, leaning back in my seat and lacing my hands behind my head. "Or did he not trust you with that, either?" I saw a flash of uncertainty in her eyes, before she blinked and it vanished.

"You're just trying to mess with me." Okay, maybe that was true, _but_...I was doing it as a kind of revenge, so it was different.

Don't look at me like that.

"Am I? I can mess with you in other ways without dragging Jason into it. Why would I be lying about this?" I mentally patted myself on the back. That was a pretty good lie. Nice one, Percy. "Believe me, I don't want to be on the wrong side of SPQR." Well, I was _already_ on their bad side, but Zoe Nightshade was right; my own gang would probably murder me for failing my mission last night. Not even I could persuade Dionysus to let me off the hook for that. Unless...he'd given me 'til tonight to get whatever it was off of Hermes. That meant that he (or she, but I assumed it was probably a he) would probably be there afterschool. A lightbulb went off in the back of my brain. " _But_ , if you do me a favour, I won't...let anything leak."

She internally debated whether believing me was a good idea (which it really wasn't), and finally came to a decision. "Fine. I'll help you out. What do you want me to do?" I tapped a finger to my chin.

"Ah, the possibilities. But you're in luck, there's a special job I'm supposed to pull off after school, but maybe you could do it for me."

"Can you hurry it up, people will be arriving soon," she said irritably, gesturing to the clock on the front wall of the room.

I nodded seriously. "Behind the Empire State building. The guy's name's Hermes, he'll give you something. Meet me in Central Park once you've got it."

"I...you know what, fine. You swear not to hurt Jason?"

"I swear it."

She shook her head. "On the River Styx, please." I swore in my head. That meant I wouldn't be able to do anything to him if he pulled anything against me. Swearing on the River Styx was a thing all the gangs did, an unbreakable vow. I chewed my lip.

"I swear not to tell anyone who he is," I tried, hoping it'd suffice. But noooo, Blondie shook her head again.

"Then the deal's off."

I sighed loudly, but complied. "I promise on the River Styx that I won't hurt Jason. Now you, I want to make sure you get my package."

"I...I swear on the Styx that I'll get your package for you. Happy?" She asked fiercely. I nodded, glancing briefly towards the door as someone opened it. "Very."

 **Annabeth's POV**

I couldn't believe I'd just agreed to do that. Running an errand for a gang could potentially initiate you into their ranks, which I did _not_ want. But what choice did I have?

"I hate you, Percy Jackson," I muttered, dodging someone who was sprinting down the hallway like a maniac. "Wait, Leo?" The sprinter stopped, looked over his shoulder and frowned at me.

"Oh, uh, hey Annabeth. I'm really in a hurry right now, my class is on the opposite side of the school and starts in two minutes. Gotta go, bye!" I watched him curiously as he raced off down the corridor. His behaviour struck me as odd. Leo didn't care if he was late to class, hell, he'd _prefer_ it. What was up with him? I also knew that on fifth period on Tuesdays, he had Chemistry, which was only a few halls down and wouldn't take long to walk there. Something was up.

"And I intend to find out."

Seventh period. I had a free, so I was in the library, studying for my next English exam. I was exploring the Elizabethan era when I felt a presence next to me. "Hey, Annabeth."

I glanced up at Jason. "Oh. Hi." His eyebrows furrowed.

"Are you okay? You look...conflicted."

"Oh, do I?" I barked, and I knew I was about to make a big mistake but I couldn't seem to shut my mouth. "I have a question, Jason. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Huh? What are you talking about, Annabeth?" He asked, obviously confused. Yeah, well, so was I.

"You have a sister and never told me?"

"That's what this is about? I thought you were genuinely mad at me. You had me going there, for a second," he half laughed, which angered me for some reason. I knew I should calm down, but it just wasn't happening. I'd finally snapped, and it was all being taken out on Jason, which I knew wasn't fair, but I could care less at that moment.

"I _am_ mad, Jason! Not just at you, but...at everyone! But right now, it's mainly you. I thought I was your friend!"

His brown eyes widened. Eyes I knew weren't really brown. "Annie, I only found out last night. I came to tell you now. Why are you so angry about it?"

"I have to do a mission for the Half-Bloods because of you!" I finally exploded, then immediately covered my mouth, hoping no one had heard. Luckily, no one was staring in our direction. Jason tilted his head.

"What? Why?"

I sighed, bringing my knees up to my chest. "Per-uh, Jackson told me he knew who you were and he threatened to hurt you if I didn't do it. So, here I am, in this dumb situation."

"Oh my gods Annabeth. You know you could be initiated because of that?" I nodded grimly.

"I think that that was probably his plan. He's ruining my life!" I moaned, running my hands through my hair. "Just when things started going right, too."

"You really believed him over me?"

I raised my eyebrows. "How do you mean?"

"Well, you assumed that I was lying to you when he easily could've been the one making stuff up."

"Ugh!" I rubbed my face with my hands. "Everything's just so complicated right now, and I can't even begin to try and work it all out."

"I'm really sorry, Annabeth. I could come with you on the mission, but that might just make it worse than it already is."

I didn't feel like I needed to reply, so I just leaned my head back against the wall. I knew something would go wrong tonight. I had a strong feeling. And usually, my feelings weren't wrong.

I walked down the footpath, trying to appear casual. I was probably failing immensely. I had come straight from school, and was still wearing my stupid uniform. I normally liked uniforms, but the skirt was an inconvenience for fighting, and the gods only know how much I had to do that.

The sky was already starting to turn a darker shade of blue, and the mist was concealing everything further than two metres away from me. I had no idea where I was going, except I knew I was somewhere around the Empire State building. Hopefully behind it, like Percy had specified. The sinking feeling in my gut had multiplied since I'd left school, and I couldn't shake my uneasiness as I crept around the area, cautiously peering left and right. I felt like someone was going to jump me at any moment. I pulled my knife from the inside of my boot, and held it in front of me.

"Hey! You!" I jumped, and spun around, looking over the man in front of me. He had a mask on, so I couldn't see his face. My danger senses started screaming like crazy.

"Are you Hermes?" I asked warily, brandishing the knife in front of me. He chuckled.

"I go by that name, yes. I believe this package is for you. Although, you're late." Late? What was he talking about? Percy had only told me about it this morning. I couldn't have possibly got there much earlier.

"I was expecting someone yesterday. But they got caught up with something, so I was told to...give out some repercussions," he said gleefully, and pulled a lethal-looking knife out of his jacket. "Would you rather a quick or painful death?" I backed up a step, looking around frantically for back up. Of course, no one was there, so I swallowed hard and held my own knife in front of me. Had Percy intentionally sent me into a death trap, or hadn't he known? I'd like to think that no human could be evil enough to set someone else up for death, but I wasn't stupid. I knew it was very possible, but it also kindled another question. Who wanted Percy dead? I mean, he probably wasn't what anyone would call well liked, but I didn't think anyone would have the guts to try take him out.

"I'm not who you want to kill. I'll hurt you," I threatened, but my voice cracked on the last words. The guy chuckled.

"They did say it would be a boy, but seeing as you're the one that's here..." he trailed off, moving closer to me. I didn't move back, because then I'd be up against a wall, and I didn't need that.

I tried for innocent. Since, you know, I _was_. "A boy told me to come here! I'm delivering it to him later." Apparently, he didn't want to bargain, because it was that moment he chose to lunge towards me.

"Hey! I don't want to fight!" I exclaimed as I parried his knife away. "I _told_ you, I'm not the one you want!"

He slashed forward, barely missing my shoulder. "See, I'm on strict orders, and negotiating wasn't an option." I ducked right, then feinted upwards with my blade. As he blocked it, I aimed a kick to his knee. My toe just caught him, but it wasn't powerful enough to do any damage. I knew then that I was badly outmatched, and I was destined to lose if I didn't escape.

"So, do you actually have the package?" I asked conversationally, blocking and dodging his strikes skilfully.

"Oh, it's in my pocket. But you won't be needing it." I spun to avoid getting a knife lodged in my eye socket, but that proved to be a bad idea, because he took the opportunity to slash at my side. I stifled a cry of pain as I felt my skin slice open. I didn't dare look to see how bad it was, but I could feel the blood dripping down my leg. My uniform was ruined. I ducked his next blow, which would've knocked me out cold, and jabbed at his stomach. Of course, it missed. I was losing too much blood. Eventually, I ended up in a choke hold, trying to fight the urge to just let go and slip into unconsciousness.

"So, little girl, are you ready to die?" He asked, dragging his knife across my face. I jolted, but didn't scream. I didn't have the energy to scream.

I knew I had to escape. I couldn't, _wouldn't_ , die in a secluded alley with no witnesses to fight for me. It occurred to me that Percy had said something similar, with me dying in front of a crowd. It slightly disturbed me that I was thinking in the same way as him. It disturbed me even more that I was even thinking about him at a time like this.

In an act of desperation, I tensed my arm at my side, hoping this 'Hermes' wouldn't notice. "Not. Yet. Jerk!" My elbow went flying into his gut, with as much force as I could muster. He fell back in shock, and I landed a quick kick to his temple, effectively paralyzing him. I leaned down and grabbed the small package from the inside of his jacket.

"I'll be taking this," I whispered, and hobbled out into the street, towards Central Park.

Since no one in their right mind would come to the park at ten at night (yes, it had taken me a while to walk here), it was easy to spot Percy, even in the dark with my blurring vision.

"Did you get it?" He asked, and sighed in obvious relief when he saw it in my hand. I reached out a shaky arm to pass it to him.

"No...problem..." I slurred, my eyesight tunnelling. His eyes narrowed, and he cocked his head to one side.

"Are you drunk or something, Chase? Why are you-" His eyes dropped to my side and he examined me for the first time. I didn't even care at this point. " _Shit,_ what _happened?_ "

My eyes fluttered shut, and I stumbled forward, right into Percy, who caught me and shook me slightly, trying to keep me awake. "Hermes...'twas a trap...got me instead..."

My world flipped, and I felt my knees knuckle beneath me, but I was already past the pain as my mind slipped into a void of darkness.

 **So that's that! And I'm slowly turning into Rick Riordan, because I'm starting to think of more and more cliffhangers...plus it takes practically a year for me to update, so you poor guys reading this have to suffer. I'm sorry. Honestly. Yup.**

 **So, to my reviewers:**

 **Ra-ra : Thanks, I'll do my best. I've actually been pretty good with updating lately. That's a pretty good idea. I'll probably incorporate it in future chapters. That can be the more informal way of addressing her**

 **Cinder Luna : I was thinking basically exactly that before I updated, but I wanted to have some exciting stuff, so I just thought to hell with it, I'll just update this and not flesh it out. Fleshing out isn't exactly my strong point. But I'm glad you love it anyway**

 **Thanks for reviewing, and reading, because I really appreciate it, and yeah.**

 **Question of the chapter: How do you think I could incorporate the fact that Annabeth owes SPQR into the story? I'm kinda stumped.**

 **Until next time,**

 **HV**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**

 **Hey, guys, here's chapter twelve! I don't have anything to say, so I'll just let you read it.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Annabeth's POV**

I stared blankly at the wall in front of me. Percy had promised to stay out of my life. My problems had significantly shrunk. So why did I have the feeling it was just about to get worse? It most likely was.

I examined the stitches in my side. I'd be able to walk in three days, probably. It wasn't like I had much of a nice life to miss out on, anyway. Being in hospital was probably _safer_ for me. You know what? I wanted to not be Annabeth Chase and not have these stupid gangs after my ass. I wanted to be _normal_ , for gods' sake, was that too much to ask for?

Apparently so. My ears pricked when my phone started buzzing like crazy. Considering only five people had my number (and one of them was just some random dude I danced with once, who I would probably never see again), it ringing was a pretty big deal.

"Hello?" I asked, curious to see who'd be calling me at three a.m.? None of my friends were even wake then. No one in the freaking universe would normally be awake.

"Annabeth, why did your mom just call me and ask me if you were staying at my place?" Piper. Normally she stayed up late, so she probably hadn't had much sleep before my mom must've called her.

"Well," I began sarcastically. "I was just on a mission for Percy because he knows all this stuff about..." I realized Jason might not have told Piper yet, so I changed my story. "...an old friend, and if I didn't do a favor for him he'd leak it." That was true enough. "But, uh, I ended up in hospital somehow."

"Annabeth Chase," she began slowly. "What the _hell_ did he have you do to land you in hospital?!"

"Oh, just some delivery. I'm fine, Pipes, honestly."

"When are you back at school?"

"Probably three, four days. I'm fine, honestly," I assured her.

"Right," she answered skeptically. "See you in three days, then."

"See you." I hung up, and resumed staring at the white wall. It was going to be a long few days.

"Hey! Annie's back!" Leo yelled when he spotted me walking down the hallway towards them. Piper, Jason and Thalia glanced up.

"Oh thank gods, now I'll have someone to help me with my homework," Thalia said. I mock-scowled at her, but ending up grinning. Everyone else was returning the gesture except Jason. He looked worried, and his eye was twitching every minute or so.

After I'd gotten caught up on what I'd missed (not much, seeing as nothing ever happens at our school), Jason looked at me.

"Hey, Annabeth, can I speak to you for a second?" I nodded, and nodded down the corridor.

"Yeah, alright," I said as I followed him away from the others. He grabbed my arm.

"My gang wants their payment for them helping you. They'll probably try and ambush you sometime soon-"

"What's the gossip?" I turned to scowl at Percy.

"Did you not promise me that you'd leave me alone?"

"Ah," he said, holding up a finger. "You didn't make me swear on the Styx. Rookie move, Chase. But, believe it or not, I'm not here to talk to you." He shifted his eyes to the blonde beside me. "She's not doing a stupid mission for your gang."

I was confused as to why he'd come over here just to tell Jason that. He seemed to be just as befuddled as me. "What?"

"She's not doing your dumb mission," he repeated slowly, like he was trying to explain something to a little kid.

"Why do you care? It's my life," I retorted, but my tone didn't have it's usual sharpness. To be honest, I was trying to figure out if the surreal scene in front of me was actually happening. He looked at me from the corner of his eye.

"I didn't sav...you don't need to know my reasons," he corrected smoothly. I arched an eyebrow. I guessed he was trying to refer to when he'd _technically_ saved me the other night, but due to our agreement, and his pride, he didn't want to spill it in front of Jason.

"I think I do," I answered. "You promised to leave me alone."

He sighed loudly, finally meeting my eyes with his own bright green ones. "I know what I promised, but his kind-" he jabbed his thumb in Jason's general direction. "-aren't good news. I have a hunch of what they'll make you do, and you aren't gonna like it. Not. One. Bit," he stated, getting in close to my face. "So sorry for caring." He held my gaze for a few seconds, before spinning and stalking away from us. Jason glanced at me with wide eyes.

"So," he started casually. "I don't suppose you'll be explaining that little scene, will you? Because him doing that is basically an oxymoron." I sighed.

"It's...I can't tell you," I said regretfully.

Jason nodded. "Right. So you've got secrets with him? Cool. It's not like you hate each other or anything."

"Just...ugh, I don't know. He should be staying away from me from now on, though."

"Right." I noticed the skepticism in his voice, and hated myself for lying. But what other choice did I have?

 **Percy's POV**

I was just walking around town, minding my own business, when someone yanked me into a side alley. Great, I thought. Just what I needed to brighten up my day.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed, brushing off my jeans.

"Shut up!" I obliged, holding my palms in the air as I glanced up. "Why'd you mess with our territory, Jackson?"

Luke Castellan was gripping my shirt collar tightly, and I had no idea what the hell was going on. Not that I ever _do_.

"I don't know what you're on about, Castellan," I replied calmly, prying his fingers off of my shirt. His eyes narrowed.

"Then why," he drawled. "Was the Half-Blood symbol graffitied all over Titan territory, Jackson? I don't know anyone else in your gang that'd be dumb enough to pull that off."

"It was probably another gang trying to pit us against each other. I'm not that stupid, no matter what you might think," I told him in exasperation.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're the only one cocky enough, then."

"Please," I scoffed. "I'm the big ego here? Dude, if I jumped from _your_ ego to your IQ, I'd be falling for days before I hit the ground." I'd been wanting to use that insult for forever, so I was pretty damn pleased that I finally got to.

"Funny, Jackson." Luke shoved me, and I hit the wall. "Watch your back, because I'm not going to let this go. You're finally gonna get your karma." As he walked away, I yelled after him.

"Good luck proving it, Castellan! But I'll be waiting; I'm intrigued to see what this revenge of yours'll be!" Once he was out of sight, I sighed and sat down on a nearby bench. Then I stood up again, feeling angry. Why, the one time I didn't actually do anything, do I get blamed?

"Why is my life so _shit_?" I growled, kicking a nearby can. Which then proceeded to nail a car right in the left headlight. Next thing I knew, an alarm started blaring, and people passing by were starting to notice. " _Fuck_." I turned tail and sprinted down the street, not wanting to get myself into any more crap today.

"Excuse me, excuse me, coming through, oh my freaking god, _move_!" I yelled as I pushed past people on the street. My apartment wasn't far away. I slowed down, trying to seem less suspicious, and ducked into the entrance.

The door was unlocked, which meant Paul was home. I'd told my mom to keep the apartment locked at all costs unless either him or me were home with her. She hadn't argued. I shrugged of my hoodie and was about to throw it on the couch when I heard a voice.

"Perseus Jackson, you better not throw that on the floor."

"Hi, Mom," I said, grinning as I slung the jacket over my shoulder. "What's for dinner? Smells good."

Sally Jackson came into view in the doorway to the kitchen. My smile widened. I absolutely loved my mom. She was the only person I could really count on.

"I could swear you care about my cooking more than you do for me," she joked, and I shrugged.

"Hey, it's a package deal," I said cheekily, before heading down the hallway to my room. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

She nodded, and I quickly grabbed a change of clothes from my room and closed the bathroom door behind me. I stripped off my shirt and stared at myself in the mirror. The many cuts and scars were the reason I never participated in the swimming sessions we had in PE. Not that I needed lessons. The most prominent scar was one on my hip, which I'd gotten from my initiation into the Half-Bloods. I shook my head, and tried to suppress the memory. I didn't like thinking back to that day.

Once I'd showered and changed, I took a seat at the table. I tried to have a sit-down dinner with Mom and Paul at least once a week, because normally I had missions to run.

"Hey, Paul," I greeted. I wasn't sure about him at first, but eventually I warmed up. He made my mom happy, and besides; he was a really great guy.

"Hello, Percy. What bank did you have to postpone robbing to grace us with your presence?" If anyone else had said that, I would've instantly decked them. But Paul's smile and light tone clued me in to the fact he was kidding. I'd told him I'd rather joke about it than dance around it, and he'd obliged. I could also usually con, sorry, _persuade_ , him into letting me off with my English homework. Turned out, he had quite a presence in the staff of Goode High School.

"Don't you worry about your bank account," I cracked. "I'll be sure to avoid it next time I go."

Mom put a plate of steaming mac and cheese in front of me. "'Next time I go', does that mean you've been recently?" She asked as she sat down opposite me. I was about to say no, but remembered the events of last week. It seemed so far away now.

"Possibly," I said, heaping food into my mouth.

Paul raised an eyebrow at me. "How come we didn't hear about it?" Usually, I took some of what I'd stolen and brought it home, since we weren't exactly the richest family out there. Basically the exact opposite, really. But I hadn't got much of a profit that night.

"Well, you see..." I started, trying to figure out how to phrase it. "It didn't exactly...I may not have been the only one there."

"Someone beat you to it? I'd like to meet whoever that was," Paul chuckled. I pressed my lips together.

"Yeah, I'm not sure you'd like her," I replied, bending my head even further over my plate.

"Trouble in paradise?"

I snorted. "As if she'd ever want to get with _me_." The feeling was pretty mutual.

My mom tsked, concern showing clearly in her eyes. "Percy, you're an amazing person. I don't know why you act so...differently to who you are."

"It's all about the image, Mom. If I lose the rep, people will see me as a target," I explained, gesturing with my fork as I spoke. "If I get kicked out of the gang, we won't have the money-" I stopped short as a piece of pasta flung off of my fork and right into her face. I choked on a laugh.

"If that's how you treat the women in your life, no wonder you're single," Paul grinned. My mom smiled as she wiped cheese off her face.

"Now you know why I don't do girlfriends," I said, joining in with the laughter. And for that moment, my life was okay.

 **So, to the reviewers:**

 **MaG - Hopefully this was soon enough for you. Thanks for liking my story**

 **Cinder Luna - Glad you loved it. Thanks for the idea, it basically fits with what I've come up with so far. I don't want to just use straight ideas that I get from my reviewers, because I want it to be at least slightly unexpected, but I'll mix it in with the...other stuff I've got planned (that totally made me sound like I know what I'm doing. I really don't)**

 **Sally Stevens - Expect the unexpected, right? I'm glad you think I've written Frank like book Frank, it fills me with hope that my writing doesn't completely suck. Who isn't paying attention to Apollo? ;) I hope this chapter portrays Percy as less of an asshole. I wanna show both sides consistently throughout the story, so hopefully I'm doing alright.**

 **Guest - I've got that in chapter six for the ending, if you haven't checked that out yet (I'm not blaming you, since I was the one who forgot to put it in), and I'm glad you liked the chapter.**

 **So, the question of the chapter: obviously this is a Percabeth story, and I'm just wondering how much you guys can take without any proper romance, or if the plot's alright enough to just keep going at the pace I am right now.**

 **Until hopefully next week (I can dream, can't I?),**

 **HV**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**

 **So, uh, it's been two months. What a long time, right? Anyway, I should update the next chapter pretty soon (for real, this time. Probably), so yeah. I'll answer the reviews again at the bottom, and hopefully you'll like this chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Annabeth's POV**

"Annabeth, can I talk to you for a minute?" I glanced up at my mom, who was standing in my bedroom doorway.

"Uh, sure," I said, gesturing for her to sit. "What about?"

She was wringing her hands, which was a sign of stress. "I've been thinking, and I think it would be a good idea if you got out of town for a while." I stared at her, seeing if she would continue. When she didn't, I knew she wanted my opinion.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked slowly, wondering what she wanted me to do. I had absolutely no idea what she was planning, although she always had my best interests at heart, so it couldn't be anything bad. Right?

"There's a camp. Camp Jupiter. I think you'd like it. It's a holiday camp, and school breaks up for two weeks next week, so it might be better than you staying here, owing all your gangs and such," she explained, looking at me with concern.

I mulled it over. It _would_ be good to get out of the house for a while, with some different people around who didn't know who I was. The idea was beginning to appeal.

"I think I'll give it a shot," I said slowly, still thinking things through. What was the worst that could happen, right?

So that was how I ended up standing in a large building, which had amazing Greek-style architecture, disguised as Beth Charman. I hadn't wanted to come just as Annabeth, in case I was recognized. But back to the architecture, it was amazing. There were twenty cabins in two lines, which were all styled differently. I thought the silver and gold one looked nice. I'd spotted a volleyball pit and climbing wall on the way in, along with a big arena. Camp Jupiter. There were definitely heavy Greek and Roman influences on the design, with cool temples and such littered around the site. There were about twenty other teens in the room, and I doubted many more would show seeing as it meant to start in two minutes. At the front of the room, on a raised dais, stood a man who looked to be maybe in his mid-thirties. He had brown hair and a matching beard, and was in a wheelchair. He rolled forwards and cleared his throat.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Chiron, and welcome to Camp Jupiter. So, today is mainly to get settled in, and I-" He was interrupted by an oddly familiar blonde boy racing into the room, looking exhausted. He held up a hand, then bent over to catch his breath.

"Hi...sorry I'm late...broke down..." He panted out. I tried to figure out where I had seen him before.

Chiron looked amused. "What's your name?"

"Pierre," the boy replied. "Pierre Johansson." I did a double take, and peered closer at the boy. Pierre, Pierre...where did I know him from? I knew that I'd met a Pierre...

The dance. I'd met him at the dance. His eyes travelled across the room and landed on me. I watched his eyebrows furrow and raised mine at him, waiting for him to get it. He bounced over to where I was standing.

"Hey! Beth, right?"

"Yeah. And you're Pierre?" I asked mockingly. He flashed a wry smile.

"How'd you know?" He leaned back against the wall as Chiron addressed the group. "What brings you to Camp Jupiter?"

I shrugged, focusing my gaze on Chiron again. "I got bored."

"Really? I wish I _could_ be bored, my life's pretty crazy."

I nodded seriously. "Oh, yeah. Arriving late to a holiday camp, how thrilling." He chuckled, and shook his head. "Very."

"...so if you'll follow me, I'll show you to the cabins and you can get unpacked." Both of us directed our attention back to the front as Chiron started leading everyone out of the room.

"Oh, uh, were we supposed to listen to that?" Pierre asked, smiling.

"Probably," I replied.

"Well, we better go before we miss out on even more."

"Yeah."

Turns out, we got on pretty well, which at least meant that I'd have someone to talk to for the duration of this camp. We were currently standing on the grass in between the cabins, and we were now able to choose our cabins. Chiron had said we could go wherever we wanted, boys on the left and girls on the right. I'd decided on the silvery gold owl themed cabin I'd noticed earlier, along with a few other girls. I unpacked quickly, and re-emerged into the lawn. I decided to try my luck talking to the other girl who had already finished.

"Hey, I'm Beth," I said as I approached her. She smiled back at me.

"Hi! I'm Katie. I'm the cabin next to yours," she said, pointing to the light brown cabin surrounded by vines and wild flowers. It looked beautiful, in a naturistic sort of way.

"That's cool. So, why are you here?"

Her expression soured. "Family problems. My mom, she's decided to make a sudden reappearance in my life and my dad thought it'd be easier for me to get out of the house for a bit."

"Your mom left you?"

Katie nodded grimly. "Yeah, when I was younger."

"I know how you feel," I began. "My dad, he didn't want me, and he's got a new wife now. I still live with my mom, though."

"We discussing family problems? Can we join the club?" I looked up and saw two boys walking towards us. They were identical, except for their height. They both had the same mop of curly brown hair, the same mischievous grins and same uplifted eyebrows, like they were planning on robbing your grandma.

"Travis Stoll, at your service," the taller one said, bowing. His brother (twin?) took the opportunity to hit the back of his head.

"I'm Connor. And before you ask, no we're not twins."

Katie pointed a finger at Travis, who raises his eyebrows at her. "I know you! Where do I know you from?" He shrugged in response, buffing his nails on his shirt hem.

"I dunno. I've never seen you before. I'm sure I'd remember such a pretty face."

Connor shoved him. "Dude, you just met her."

"Apparently not," his brother replied, grinning slyly. Connor shook his head.

"See what I have to put up with everyday?"

I heard a door slam, and my head whips towards the sound. Cabin 3, a massive blue building. Pierre grinned and waved sheepishly. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Nice one. I'm surprised the door didn't fall off."

He flexed his arm muscles jokingly. "These guns may be impressive, but not even I could break a door by slamming it."

"Whatever." Katie, Travis and Connor are grinning at us, and I felt slightly weirded out by them.

"What?" I asked self-consciously, inspecting my clothes for anything out of the ordinary.

"Oh, nothing," they said in unison, which added to the creepy factor.

Pierre glanced at me. "Are you feeling creeped out right now?"

"Very." He slung his arm over my shoulder and steered me away from them. "Let's go find some non-freaky people to hang with." I looked back over my shoulder and rolled my eyes while the others smirked at me. Whatever.

"So," he said, looking down at me. "Who'd you wanna talk to?"

"I don't know and I don't care," I replied, taking in the scenery. Luckily, we didn't have to stand idly for long, because Chiron came up behind us.

"Hello, you two. Are you ready for today's first activity?"

Pierre nodded eagerly, looking kind of like an excited child. "Yeah! What're we doing?"

"Someone's ebullient," I muttered. Chiron looked at me approvingly, probably because of my extensive vocabulary.

Pierre stared at me blankly. "What?"

"Ebullient," I repeated. "It means enthusiastic."

"How do you know that? Are you an alien?" He inquired, poking my head with one finger I swatted his hand away.

"Sorry, would you prefer _effervescent_?" That shut him up, and Chiron chuckled at our antics. He pointed at the forest bordering the camp.

"Capture the flag. I'll explain the rules when everyone's over there," he told us, and I nodded.

"Cool, let's go!" I let Pierre drag me towards the cluster of trees, mapping out the area in my brain. I felt like it would come in handy. Little did I know how right I was.

I was posted on defense, along with Katie and Travis, who kept arguing with each other.

"No one's going to be dumb enough to do that!"

"Hey, you never know! Someone might try and run through the middle of us three!"

"Oh my gods, you're an idiot."

"Yeah, well-" I tried to tune them out, but it didn't do much good. I was surprised no one had tried to steal our flag yet, because with two of our defenders preoccupied, there were plenty of angles to attack us from. A flicker of movement in the trees about ten metres to my right caught my attention. Whoever it was was making it horribly obvious that they were about to make a move.

"Guys, shut up." Of course, they didn't hear me. "Fine. I'll do this on my own, then." I tracked the person with my eyes, and realized that they were going to strike at the back, wisely between Katie and Travis. "HEY!" I shouted. The two turned to me. I pointed behind them. "Pay attention!" Their eyes widened, but I ignored that and jabbed my finger to Pierre, who was smiling and leaning against a tree behind them. I immediately rushed forward to tag him just as Travis sprinted past me, frantically gesturing for Katie to follow him.

"I guess your plan failed," I said to Pierre smugly as I motioned in the direction of our teams jail. He grinned at me, and started walking away.

"Look behind you, Charman." I did, and scowled at my stupidity. Pierre was a distraction; another camper was streaking back to their side with _my_ teams flag. I rubbed my face in exasperation.

"I _knew_ it was too easy," I mumbled, crossing my arms.

"And you were right!" He said helpfully. I flipped him off. "Well, that's not very nice, sweetheart," he added lightly. I froze, and stared straight ahead. I'd heard that line many times before. "Um, Beth? You okay?"

I shrugged it off. "Don't worry. You just...reminded me of someone." Pierre definitely wasn't Percy. He was too nice.

"Well, okay, if you insist," he said, then walked past me back to his side.

"Where are you going?" I called after him.

"To celebrate my victory. My team won, remember?"

"Yeah," I muttered under my breath. "How could I forget?"

"What was that?"

"Forget it!" I yelled at him. I could feel his smug aura from here. But I couldn't stop the grin from forming on my face, and I shook my head in amusement. Maybe camp wouldn't be so bad, after all.

 **I can't remember if Katie or the Stolls are in this previously, but if they are then just pretend they aren't. Also, since I'd already used the whole Half-Blood thing, I named the camp Camp Jupiter, so hopefully that's okay. So, to the reviewers:**

 **1quintisfan - I'm glad you find it funny! So, I wasn't even sure Katie and Travis would be in this story, and then this idea just sorta happened and yeah. I'll see what I can do about Tratie ;)**

 **Sally Stevens - I kinda based it off your idea, then just added in this extra stuff. Also, I'm glad I don't need to have the romance thing yet, but don't worry, I've got some** ** _stuff_** **coming up I think you'll like.**

 **neyongreen - Well, here ya go! Glad you like my story, and I'll try and update soon. For real, this time!**

 **Demigod2004 - I'm happy you like it, and I'll try. I genuinely will.**

 **Question of the chapter: What do you guys think of** ** _Pierre?_** **;) I'm sure most of you have figured out who he is by now, so I might use his POV in the next chapter.**

 **HV**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N**

 **An actual quick update! Yay! The start of this chapter may seem rushed, but I kinda just wanted to get it up and...yeah. Hope you like it.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Percy's POV:**

Turns out, summer camp can be fun when you don't have people trying to beat you up waiting for you in every corner. Especially when you have friends. I put on my wig and headed out of my cabin towards the dining pavilion. Yup, a _pavilion._

Now, I'm not an architecture nerd like Beth, but I could still appreciate the buildings with their white columns and sloping roofs. The places here were seriously awesome.

"Hey, Perry!" I slid onto the bench in between Connor and a dude named Will, opposite from Beth.

"Hey, Lizzy!" She scowled, and pointed her fork up at me. As she flicked it up, a dollop of syrup flew onto my face. I swiped at it.

"I'm under assault!" I yelled. "Back up squad, attack!" I glanced at Will and Connor expectantly, but they just stared blankly at me. "Wow, such traitors."

Beth turned back to her pancakes as if nothing had happened. "Shoot me in archery if you really want revenge," she said simply. I narrowed my eyes at her and dug into my own pancakes after pouring nearly the entire bottle of syrup on them.

Katie stared at my plate with wide eyes. "Syrup, much? Jeez!"

I shrugged as I shoveled down another mouthful. "Hey, I like syrup, okay? Don't make fun of me for it."

Will rolled his eyes. "Maybe if I get lucky, I'll manage to hit all of you with one arrow."

"Aw, you wouldn't!" I said, poking his shoulder. His pointed his knife at me, and I raised my hands in the air. Although I hadn't anticipated that I was still holding my utensils, and the piece of pancake I'd just speared fell to the floor. I watched it in dismay. The others laughed at me. I punched Connor in the arm, and he shut up.

"Archery," I told myself. "I'll get them back in archery."

That didn't happen, either. The six of us walked over together, and found Chiron taking practice shots He hit the bullseye every time.

I nudged Beth. "Bet you can't do that," I said, pointing toward our camp director. She shrugged.

"You got me. I'll be aiming at you, remember?" Then she walked faster and picked up a bow, which didn't help my confidence one bit. Travis walked past me and grinned.

"Ooh, you're so dead, dude."

"You wish." I nocked an arrow in my bow and aimed it at the target. Will beat me to it and let his fly, hitting the target dead centre. I dropped mine and gaped at him in awe.

"How-"

"What-"

" _Dude!_ " Travis exclaimed. "That was _awesome!_ Johansson, you're so going down."

I scowl and aim my bow again. I'll prove them wrong! I let it fire, and Beth aimed hers and released it just as quickly. My jaw dropped when her arrow hit mine, sending it to the ground, and hers embedded itself in the wooden target.

I turned to her. "Hey! That actually would've made it!"

She smirked. "Sure, Perry. In your dreams."

"Trust me, you've got the starring role." Why did I say that?! That was such a Percy Jackson thing to say, and now she'd think I was a douche! I added a wink at the end and tried to make it sound not as bad. She just raised an eyebrow, and gestured toward the target again.

"Go on, big shot. Hit the target, if you're so good." I raised the bow again, and concentrated hard. Then I let go of the string.

And immediately wished I hadn't.

Somehow, my arrow had managed to go _sideways_ , and it hit Chiron right in the back. I winced, dropped my weapon and hid behind Beth. She gave me an unimpressed look, before she started laughing. Chiron spun around and saw everyone laughing their asses off, while I stood there, trying to hide behind Beth.

Wow, Percy. I _wonder_ who it was.

"Okay, who was it?" Everyone pointed to me while I pointed at Katie. She just stared at me.

"Pierre, I'm literally the only one of us _not_ near a bow." Hmm, good point.

"Well...whatever. Uh, sorry, Chiron," I apologized, because that'd get me off the hook, right? Chiron just stared at me, shaking his head, then turned away. "Yes! I'm off the hook!" I pumped a fist in the air.

"Oh, and Mr Johansson?" He added over his shoulder. "I'll put you on dish duty tonight. That means lunch, too."

"Well, shit," I swore. The others had the nerve to laugh. I'd show them.

Volleyball. I couldn't suck at this, right? I was fast on my feet due to running away from people who wanted to kill me, so I should be alright at this.

Jeez, what a sucky reason to be good at something.

Beth and I had teamed up, and we were versing the Stolls. I pulled her aside for a 'team talk' before the match.

"Okay, Charman, this is getting serious. We may have our differences, but I'm pretty sure we _both_ wanna beat the crap out of the Stolls. Are you in?" She raised her eyebrows at me, but shrugged her agreement.

"Whatever. You better not let me down, Johansson."

"Oh, believe me," I said, grinning. "I'm sure my volleyball skills are very up to par with what you-" I was cut off by something hitting me in the back of the head. I whipped around, my hand shooting up to my head, readjusting my wig out of habit. I hated having to wear the thing, but for all I knew, _Luke_ could be at this camp. I narrowed my eyes at Travis.

"Hey!" I yelled as the others snickered at me. "Don't you know it's rude to hit someone from behind?"

Connor snorted. "You actually expected him to have manners? Where have you been living this morning, under a rock?"

"Well, technically, yes,because the buildings here are all made of stone!" That was a pretty fair point. I grinned at him, feeling incredibly smug. He just shook his head, and gestured to the ball at my feet.

"Well? We're waiting, dude."

I offered it to Beth. "Ladies first?" She gave me a sour look, and I turned back to face the net. "Right. I'll go first." Then I hit it over.

I won't detail the next ten minutes, because Beth and I totally kicked the Stolls asses, and you don't need to hear the same thing over and over.

"Did you _see_ Travis' dive? He totally ate dirt!"

"And when Connor fell onto him trying to get the ball? That was hilarious!"

"How do you even accidentally jump your brother during volleyball?" I glanced over at where Beth was standing. She was laughing loudly, and her eyes were sparkling. I had the feeling she didn't laugh much.

"Beth," I said, stopping and meeting her eyes.

"What?" She questioned, curiosity showing in her eyes. What had I wanted to ask her? I'd just said her name, and now I looked like a weirdo.

"Um..." I glanced around for something to talk about. The weird-looking trees! "The trees here look kind weird. Like, there's faces in them or something." Great save, really, man. People'll be using that for decades to come.

"Uh, yeah," she said, looking amused. "They do, actually."

I threw up my hands. "You suggest a subject to talk about, then!"

She grinned at me slyly. "How about dish duty?"

I pointed a finger at her. "You, my friend, are evil."

"Oh, I know."

Canoeing. The one thing at camp that I was actually really good at. And that meant I could seek my revenge.

"Hey, Bethy," I said, paddling beside her. She looked incredibly shaky, and I thought she'd tip at any moment. Easy target.

"Go away, Johansson," she said, trying to paddle away from me. My boat 'accidentally' bumped hers, and she had to grab my shoulder to keep from tipping out. I smirked down at her.

"Having fun there?" She scowled at me and righted herself, nearly pushing me over. I lifted my knee to stop myself and smiled widely at her. Her glared hardened. "Hey, don't hate me because I'm good at something!"

"How are you so good at canoeing?" She muttered, trying to move her boat away from me. I stayed with her.

"My, uh, my dad taught me when I was little," I paused, scrunching my nose. "Well, at least I'm _told_ he did. I believe it, because what else explains it?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "You don't remember?"

I shook my head. "No, he, um, left when I was a lot younger. I don't really remember him that well."

"I know what you mean. My dad didn't want me, so I ran away. I was seven," her voice hardened, and she smiled wryly. "Luckily, my mom found me, so now I live with her. But I know what it feels like to have a sucky dad." Even though I _did_ slightly resent my dad for leaving, I still loved him. I felt a strong need to defend him.

"He was a great dad," I snapped, and her eyes widened. "He _had_ to leave, he told me...he had no choice," I finished quietly, looking down at the water. "Sorry for snapping, but...he wasn't a bad person. Sometimes good people make bad decisions, too." Kind of like my life story. We'd analyzed this book in English (which I hadn't read, but the teacher gave us these worksheets and explained them in class because she knew most of us wouldn't do them), and there had been a quote about that and my teacher asked us to compare it to a bad decision we'd made. I'd written two lists, one which completely filled my page and another with an answer that landed me in detention. Maybe I used to be a good person, but now I was just...a shell of who I should've been.

Okay, that went deep. Beth was staring at me weirdly, and I focused my attention back to her. She looked kinda regretful.

"Yeah, I can relate to that."

I snorted. She stared at me, obviously confused. I understood that. I even confused _me_ sometimes. "You? Doing dumb stuff? It doesn't fit."

"You're right," she replied. "I don't fit."

"Hey, lovebirds!" A voice yelled out. Beth and I turned too late, and Connor and Travis rammed us from both sides, and even I couldn't stop myself from going over.

I came up underneath my boat, and glanced around for Beth. She'd gone to the surface and I could faintly hear her chewing out the Stoll brothers. I liked being underwater, because you could relax and drown out everything else in the world. I saw Beth's leg hanging by my boat and pulled her under the water. I heard her shriek as she was submerged, and her head popped up beside mine. She glared at me.

"What the hell was that for, Johansson?" I shrugged. I had no clue myself, actually. Why _did_ I do that? As I pondered this she sighed in exasperation. "You are the weirdest person I've ever met."

"Really? Cool!" She swatted my arm, and she suddenly tensed. I realized why a second later. Since we were stuck under a canoe, we were pretty close together. Did I just unintentionally set myself up? Wow, go me! Finally doing something good for myself! I silently reprimanded myself. Percy, you've done yourself a favour, now _don't_ mess it up.

Beth arched an eyebrow. "So, do you have an explanation?"

"Good people make bad decisions, right?" I held the rim of the boat with both hands to steady myself. "So I'll make up for it. Tell me, Charman, is this a good decision?" Before she could reply (and before I could chicken out), I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers.

 **Annabeth's POV**

"Good people make bad decisions, right?" Pierre adjusted his hands, and I watched him curiously, wondering where this was leading. I was acutely aware of how close we were, and I felt warm despite the cold water seeping into my clothes. Then he continued. "So I'll make up for it. Tell me, Charman, is this a good decision?" Then he closed the gap between us and connected our lips. A part of me thought that this was weird, because we barely knew each other. But the other part of me, which was way more dominant, told me to just go with it. Which I had no problem with. I reached up to support myself so I didn't fall under the water and leaned closer to him. Something about this seemed familiar...but I couldn't figure out WHAT. I'd never kissed Pierre before. The only guys I _had_ kissed recently were...Luke and Percy. But Pierre wasn't either of those. Was he?

In alarm, I banged my head on the top of the boat and lost my grip on the plastic. That caused Pierre to panic, and we both fell into the water, mouths still together. I broke away and kicked up towards the surface, breathing in deeply once my head was above water. I grabbed onto my canoe and took deep breaths. Pierre still hadn't surfaced, and I was about to go under again to look for him when I saw his hand grip the side of his boat. He grinned at me, and I couldn't help but smile back at him. No. He wasn't Percy or Luke. He was too nice. Then I noticed our friends, who were staring at us cryptically.

"I guess you two didn't drown after all," Will deadpanned. Travis smirked at us, then looked at Connor.

"Hey, bro, we should be professional matchmakers!" At my dignified glare, he waved a hand at me. "Please, Charman. Don't think we don't know what you were doing."

"It'll be strangling you, soon," I replied, only half-joking. The brothers exchanged a glance before paddling away at lightning speed. Will and Katie sighed, glancing at each other.

"Why are our friends idiots?" Katie asked him. Will shrugged.

"Normal people need dumb people to make them feel smart?" Pierre and I glared at him. "I mean the other two. Obviously," he added with a cough. "Well, I'll be going now..."

Katie glanced at the others, who were now putting their boats away. "I'll leave you guys to it."

I turned to face Pierre again, to find him already watching me with one eyebrow raised. I lifted one back at him.

"I believe we were interrupted before," he stated needlessly. I put my elbows on his boat, staring at him. "Take care of your head, alright?" I laughed, and didn't protest when he leaned in over the boat. And this time, I wouldn't bruise my head.

 **It took all my willpower to not finish Dan's diss track after writing 'okay that went deep'. But I repressed it (god, I'm so punny. I'm a loser) and managed to write this stuff. It's kinda Percabeth, but they don't know it's each other so...Bethierre? I dunno. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, because I'm about to screw up their lives majorly. I feel so evil. Also, I've just bought a copy of The Dark Prophecy, aka Trials of Apollo 2! I'm so excited and ahhh!**

 **Reviewer Replies:**

 **Psyche Castle - You will probably regret saying that once the next few chapters are uploaded but I hope you still enjoy it!**

 **neyongreen - Well, here ya go! Hope you like it!**

 **Jules - I agree, but don't worry, she'll get her revenge!**

 **Today's question: how much more camp stuff do you want me to write? Because I've got something planned for after camp, but not the actual camp, so...yeah.**

 **Until next time,**

 **HV**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N**

 **Honorary Viral's actually uploading regularly! What the hell is happening, the apocalypse? I'm really starting to get into this story now, so hopefully I'll be uploading more. In the next few chapters, some stuff goes down (not so much in this one, but whatever), so enjoy the Bethierre (I've made that the official name) while it lasts, because I'm about to screw them over while they're on holiday. Sorry!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Annabeth's POV:**

I woke up and for a second forgot where I was. I started freaking out, but then I remembered; I was at camp. I hadn't been kidnapped by some random evil dude. Then I realized that I had been woken up by _something_ , presumably, because a, it was the middle of the night and b, I could hear a faint rustling sound. Sitting up slowly, I glanced around and almost screamed when I saw a person standing right beside my bed. His eyes widened and he slapped his hand over my mouth.

"What," I began quietly. "Are you doing in my cabin at _midnight_?" He raised an eyebrow then gestured for me to follow him. I sighed but agreed, because I probably wouldn't get back to sleep anyway, so why not? Once we were outside, he held up two cans of shaving cream and a roll of duct tape. "What the hell is that for?"

"Okay," Pierre began, walking down the lawn between the cabins. I followed him, my interest piqued. "We're getting revenge on the Stolls."

"As good as that sounds, how are we going to pull that off?" I questioned, and noticed the bag that was hanging off of his arm. "What's in there?" I asked accusingly.

A wide grin spread across his face. "That would be the mustard."

"And _why_ do we need mustard?" He whispered his plan to me, and I smiled. "You're a genius. An evil genius, but still a genius."

We snuck into Cabin 11, aka the residence of the Stoll brothers, and got to work. They had both conveniently chosen lower bunks on opposite sides of the cabin, which worked in our favor perfectly. He taped up Travis' bunk, while I taped in Connor. As soon as we'd taped around the entire bunk, we exchanged smirks and Pierre offered me the shaving cream.

"Why thank you sir," I giggled quietly, keeping my voice hushed.

"You're very welcome, ma'am." I cut a small hole in the duct tape and sprayed the shaving cream into the room I'd created. Surprisingly, neither brother woke up while they were being covered in foam. I dug through the supply bag and found the feathers. Cue the next stage of the plan.

"How are we gonna reach up there?" I asked. All the cabins had a fan that turned on whenever the light was on, and we needed to get up there and place the feathers on it.

Pierre crouched. "Get on my back, I'll lift you up. Grab the bag," he whispered back. I obliged, and gripped his shoulders as he stood up. The fan was right in front of me.

"Jeez, you're tall."

"I know. It comes in handy."

"For what?" I asked as I carefully placed the colorful feathers on the blades of the fan. "Putting feathers on fans?"

"Yeah." Once I was done I hopped off his back and grinned. "So, time for the mustard?"

"Of course." We ran the mustard bottle on anything they might touch; their suitcase handles, the outside of the duct tape, the door handle. And, of course, the light switch.

Pierre leaned down to whisper in my ear. "I think we're done here."

"Almost," I smirked, holding up the loudspeaker.

"Touche." We were standing right outside the cabin. Our plan was about to be set into action. We had to get the rest of the campers up first, though, to watch the Stolls' demise. Pierre lifted the loudspeaker to his mouth and began walking down the lawn. "Attention, campers! The best thing you will ever see in your life is about to go down, so GET YOUR ASSES OUT HERE!"

"You know they'll humiliate us just as badly once they get even," I pointed out.

"Do we care?" Pierre asked, eyebrows raised.

"Hell no!"

In a few minutes, we had a decent crowd of people gathered around the cabin.

Will was yawning. "Beth, Pierre...you better have a good reason for waking us up."

A girl in my cabin nodded. "Yeah, guys. If it's just to announce your new relationship, I'm going back to sleep."

"Trust me, you'll want to see this," Pierre assured them, then turned to face me. "You wanna do the honors?"

I smiled. "Gladly." Then I walked right up to the window and screamed into the speaker. "YO, WAKE YOUR LAZY ASSES UP!"

I turned to the crowd and held up a finger. Soon, the Stolls' started yelling. "They've just realized that they are covered in shaving cream." A switch flicked, and even more shrieking ensued. "That would be the mustard." The lights went on, and so did the fan "And finally, the feathers." Pierre smirked and opened the door. The two boys came running out, covered in shaving cream, mustard and rainbow feathers. Then they saw the crowd.

"Uh, hi everyone!" Travis said, waving. Connor rolled his eyes. They locked eyes with me, and I pointed to Pierre.

"His idea!"

He glanced at me shrewdly. "Thanks, Charman."

"Well, if you can't decide who it was, we'll just get revenge on both of you!"

"We'll be waiting," Pierre said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "But please, you two can't top that."

"Don't challenge them!" I hissed. "Now they're gonna take it seriously."

"They were gonna do that anyway. So now we're at war."

I nodded. "Alright, then. I hope you're ready to lose, boys!" I called towards the retreating Stolls. "You're going down."

"That's the spirit."

 **Percy's POV:**

I was currently picking strawberries in the field with Katie. I hadn't gotten any sleep since Beth and I's epic prank, and I didn't think anyone else had either. "Jeez, I'm tired."

"That's what happens when you wake everyone up at midnight," Katie said dryly.

"And now I've gotta watch out for the Stolls. At least they'll have to wait 'til Beth and I are together, so they can't do anything now."

She snorted, and I looked up at her. "Yeah, but when are you two not together? They won't have to wait long." As I opened my mouth, she kept talking. "What's happening with you two anyway?"

"I...don't actually know," I told her honestly. We hadn't actually talked about what had happened yesterday. "It was probably a one off thing, heat of the moment, you know?" Katie stopped, put down her basket, and placed her hands on her hips.

"Okay, I'm not exactly an expert, but you two have great romantic potential. Do you like her?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. My life is pretty messed up, so it's not like would work after camp-"

"Pierre, sometimes you just have to live in the present, and not think about the future," she began, and I knew what she was saying was true, but I was great at running away from my problems, so why start facing them now? "Don't give me that look, go after her."

I stared at her accusingly. "Are you just trying to get us together so the Stolls' can prank us?"

"Hey, no, I'm Switzerland. I'm not on anyone's side."

"I'll go after Beth, on one condition," I said, a grin spreading across my face.

"What?"

"You take your own advice. I know you like Travis." She made a choking noise, and I was afraid I'd actually killed her, but then she replied.

"What makes you think that?" She said calmly.

"Please. I just know this stuff." What was I, some sort of love expert now? That was kinda far off, seeing as I'd never had a steady relationship. Or rather, I had, but then I'd joined the Half-Bloods and screwed it up.

She stared at me skeptically. "Fine. I'll admit it, maybe I do like him, but...he's just such an idiot sometimes!"

"Trust me, if a guy's acting stupid and making fun of you, he probably likes you." Kind of like my relationship with Annabeth, actually. Oh jeez, Percy, the reason you're on this camp is to _not_ think about gang stuff. Especially _her_.

"Right. Well, Beth's on stable duty right now, and I can cover for you if you want."

"Thanks, Katie," I said, genuinely meaning it. "Good luck with Travis!" I added mischievously. She scowled at me. "Right, I'm leaving before you kill me, bye!"

I started walking down the hill, towards where Beth would be waiting. Well, not waiting, but where she would be. Yeah.

God, I was already rambling. Why was I even nervous? I hit on girls all the time without a second thought.

 _Because you actually like her, you idiot,_ I thought. _You aren't just doing it to be an asshole._

Somehow, I'd ended up outside the stables, and I saw Beth alone inside.

"Need any help?" I called. She jumped, hit her head on a wooden beam, then turned to stare at me. "You really need to stop hitting your head," I added lightly. She smiled and gestured for me to come in.

"I could use some help. Travis left to go talk to Katie. I hope he doesn't screw it up."

"I just left Katie to come down here. Looks like it's trending nowadays," I cracked. She rolled her eyes at me and leaned back against the wall.

"So, why'd you want to talk to me?"

I jumped up and sat on the rail. Cobwebs brushed my face and I swatted at them irritably. "So. Yesterday."

"I knew this was coming, but I was kind of hoping to avoid it," she said, meeting my eyes. "I suppose that's not going to happen, is it?"

"Nope," I said, popping the p. "I don't wanna draw this out like they do in all the movies, but...oh, to hell with the ironic speech, I'm just gonna get it out," I said, running my hands through my hair. "Beth, I like you. There, I said it." I stared at her, right in the eyes. "If you don't reciprocate it, it's cool, I'm cool with-" She waved a hand to cut me off and chuckled.

"No, it's..." She took a few steps forward until she was standing directly in front of me. Our eyes were still locked. "I'm just not used to the formality of relationships, you know? I guess you probably don't."

"Oh, believe me, I'm an expert on informalities."

She grinned. "That makes two of us, then. How about we experiment?"

"I'm listening."

"We try all the formalities we've missed out on. Do this the proper way."

I nodded. "That's cool with me. Although, the horse shit's kinda ruining the vibe."

She laughed, and I joined in. "Wow, you sure know how to set the mood, huh?"

"Obviously, Beth," I chastised. "It's my number one talent!" Along with pissing people off. I'm pretty damn good at that too. Which is a shitty thing to be good at.

"In all seriousness," she said. "Me and you? We're making it official?" I put my hand on her shoulders and bent my head so she didn't have to look up at me.

"Is that what you want?" I asked her quietly, unsure why I was being quiet all of a sudden.

"Does this answer your question?" I was about to ask what, but then she clasped her hands around the back of my neck, lowered my head down and kissed me. My reflexes kicked in and I started kissing her back. None of that dumb shock type of shit for me, folks.

My hands moved from her shoulders, one resting on her back and the other one cupping her face. I couldn't tell you how long we stayed like that, but next thing I knew, someone was running into the stables.

"EAT CHEESE, SUCKAS!" Now, because I was sitting on a fence with nothing behind me, I toppled backwards in surprise. And because Beth and I were still holding each other, she came down with me, landing right on top of me.

"Oof!" I winced as her elbow hit my stomach. She looked at apologetically, but didn't have time to say anything because someone had started to spray us with cheese. Beth buried her head into my chest to try and shield herself, but I could feel her shaking with laughter.

"TRAVIS! CONNOR! YOU ARE _SO_ DEAD!" I yelled, holding up my hands to protect myself from the stupid spray cheese.

"You asked for revenge, dude!"

"Wait, wait," I said. " _This_ is your counter prank? Spraying cheese on me and Beth while we're _kissing?_ Dude," I exclaimed, running a hand through my hair. "That's low."

"Exactly," Connor said. "We had to either top your prank, or hit a low blow. The second was easier at the time. But, uh, sorry," he added sheepishly.

"Wow," I said, shaking my head. "I don't even know what to say...Connor?"

"What?" He asked innocently. Innocently my ass.

"What's that in your hand?" I questioned, trying to peer around him.

He shuffled nervously. "It's, um, for a school project?" At that, even Beth turned to stare at him condescendingly.

"What a great video to show your teacher." She deadpanned. "What are you planning on doing with that?"

"Actually we didn't record it, we just wanted to bring the camera so we'd have proof if you tried to murder us!" Travis exclaimed. I burst out laughing.

"Oh my gods, you two are idiots!"

"Hey!" They protested in unison. I looked across at Beth, and we both rolled our eyes.

"We'll get revenge at the campfire," I whispered to her.

"Oh, you bet."

There was less than an hour til the fire started, and we didn't have a plan. We were both sprawled out in my cabin, trying to come up with _something_.

"We're not gonna find anything in fifty minutes, Pierre," Beth said, sighing.

"Yes, we are," I argued. "We just need to keep thinking. It's a fire, what would scare people at a fire?"

"Are we just gonna ditch the whole only pranking Connor and Travis thing and just go for everyone?"

"I mean, everyone'll start pranking us, but...well, we can just hide out in the Big House or something."

"Right," she muttered. Then her face lit up. "Wait, Pierre, do you think the camp'll have leftover fireworks from New Years?"

I saw what she was intending to do. "I mean, it _is_ April, but maybe."

"Let's go look." We left the cabin, making sure no one saw us, and snuck into the attic of the Big House. It was dark, and there were cobwebs everywhere. Luckily for us, there was still a bit of daylight to see from. Unfortunately for us, there was only a tiny, port-hole style window letting the light in, and no light switch.

Who the hell designed this room? Literally, it sucked. They should be fired...I was going off topic again. I needed to stop doing that.

"Um, there's duct tape, board games...is that a _voodoo doll?_ "

Beth glanced over at me. "What? Where?" I pointed in front of me. Seeing a voodoo doll with a needle stabbed through it's head when you're in a dark attic isn't a nice experience. It was seriously creeping me out. The sky outside was starting to get darker, and suddenly I could barely see anything expect faint outlines. "Beth? Where'd you go?" She called a response, and I walked towards her voice, tripping over a box in the process.

"Shit!" I swore.

"You okay back there?" She asked, snickering.

"Dandy," I muttered, and then sighed with relief when I saw her outline. She looked slightly shorter than normal, but that was probably just the light. "So, um, I meant to ask you this properly earlier, but we got interrupted..." I trailed off and stepped closer to her.

"Yeah?" She asked absentmindedly.

"So, Beth...since we're going to try all the formalities, will you go on a date with me?" I actually had an idea which I was going to put into motion tomorrow, as long as she said yes.

"Yeah, that'd be great," she replied. She hadn't moved in a while, and I put my arms around her shoulders. Weirdly, she stayed still.

"We should keep looking," I said.

"What do you mean? I am looking. I haven't found anything though," she answered, sounding confused.

"Hey, neither have I. Wanna take a break?" I leaned my chin on her shoulder. Again, she didn't move.

"Oh thank the gods, I found the light switch!" Now I really I _was_ confused.

"Beth?" I asked. Then I shut my eyes as the room was flooded with blinding light. When I opened them, I saw Beth standing in front of me, three feet away, in front of the light switch. Our eyes met, and mine widened as I glanced down.

A shriveled mummy was staring back at me.

I yelled, backed away as fast as possible, and fell over an old scarf. What the fuck was that?

Beth burst out laughing, bending over to try and catch her breath. "Oh gods, you...you thought that was me!" I gazed at her sourly, but she kept laughing. "I don't know if I should be offended that you thought it was me, but that...oh gods, that was _priceless!_ "

"I'm glad you find it funny," I deadpanned.

"If we're talking about formalities, I'd say that's karma for not waiting until the first date to try something," she giggled, and then pointed across the room. "Hey! There's firecrackers over there!" I turned my head and closed my eyes in exasperation. They were right next to the door.

"Can I die now?"

"Oh shit, we've only got half an hour to go get these in position." I stayed where I was, draping an arm over my face. "Okay, so you nearly made out with a mummy. Big deal. Now let's go." I opened one eye to see Beth standing over me with her hands on her hips.

"That was the most traumatic experience of my life," I moaned. Nowhere near it, actually, but right then it was pretty scary. Beth's eyes suddenly narrowed, and she bent down.

"Pierre..." I shifted my gaze to where she was pointing, and I realized that my shirt had ridden up slightly when I'd moved my arm. Shit! I quickly tugged my shirt back down.

"Um, you didn't see anything!" I said, and stood up abruptly.

"What happened, Pierre? You can talk to me. I know we haven't known each other that long, but..." she trailed off. "Look, I'm not going to force you to tell me how you got that scar. But if you ever want to talk, I'm here." She headed straight for the firecrackers, leaving me my thoughts. If she'd pressed it, I don't know what I would've said. Oh, sorry Beth, I'm actually in the biggest gang in Manhattan! I got this scar because I was too naive to know what being in a gang meant, and joined so I could be with my girlfriend! Who now hates me! And just FYI, I'm now the biggest jerk ever, so you'll probably hate me too. Funny, right?

Um, no. Only one person knew the real reason why I'd joined the Half-Bloods. Most people thought it was money, but in reality, well. I was too drunk on love to think of the repercussions and nearly ended up dead on initiation night. But I hated thinking about that, so I focused my attention elsewhere.

I examined the scar closely. It was pretty old, but the knife had gone deep, and it was still clearly visible. I shuddered at the memory which threatened to surface and stamped it down. Not now.

"Need help carrying those?" I asked, and took half of them off of Beth. "Let's go."

Neither of us said anything as we headed to the fire site. Luckily, no one was there yet. We silently put the crackers under the wood, so it'd take a while for the fire to get to them.

"No one'll get hurt, right?" Beth asked as we walked away. We'd positioned them so they'd go straight up and not into the campers.

"I don't care," I snapped. Then stopped and rubbed my hands over my face. "Arghh! Sorry, I'm just...bad memories," I said finally. She nodded.

"Don't worry about it. I'd be a hypocrite for yelling at you," she said bitterly. Oh please, what could have happened to her that was so bad? Her life was probably heaven compared to mine.

Why was I being so negative? This wasn't me. No, I needed to get away.

"Hey, Beth? I'm gonna go for a walk, get some fresh air. If anyone asks, can you tell them that?"

"Uh, sure," she said, and I started walking away. "Just make it back in time for the fire!"

"Right!" I called back over my shoulder, and took off into the forest.

Once I was sure no one was around, I ripped off the wig. I didn't bother with contacts, so my eyes were still their normal green. I knelt by a pond I'd found and clasped my hands together, staring at my reflection. I was Pierre Johnson-no, I wasn't. Percy Johansson. Peter Jackson. I buried my face in my elbow and screamed.

I was Percy Jackson.

And who was that? Some bigshot jerk that hit on everyone he met? A bitter asshole that hated the world? Or some nice guy that'd help every old lady cross the road?

The scary thing was, I didn't even know anymore.

 **Poor Percy. Next chapter you get some insight on him, don't worry. Next chapter is also when a lot of shit hits the fan, which will be** ** _fun!_**

 **Reviewer Replies:**

 **KittyKat - Hope you enjoyed that! Next chapter will be one of the last camp chapters, and then we're right back out of the word of Bethierre**

 **Psyche Castle - I'm really glad you're liking my story! I've got the next chapter nearly ready, so it should be up soon!**

 **just-a-normal-fangirl - I didn't even know it was out until I saw it in the book store yesterday, and I actually went into shock and just stood there staring at it for 10 minutes.**

 **neyongreen - They're not gonna find out just yet, but I've got something planned for the next chapter which you** ** _probably_** **won't like...but there is a lot of Bethierre stuff! Don't hate me!**

 **1quintisfan - I know, it's so uncharacteristic for me to update so much, but there you go. There'll be another one soon after this, so keep your eyes open! I'm also glad you like it, and yup, the train is officially long gone**

 **Hope you guys liked that, and until next time,**

 **HV**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N**

 **Hi guys! Here's the next chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Percy's POV**

I opened my palm and looked at the asterisk shaped wound imprinted there. I had absolutely hated that night.

And I hated reliving it. But I knew I had to to clear my mind.

 **FLASHBACK**

I let the girl clasping my hand pull me along. "Percy, are you sure you want to do this? You won't be able to go back once you're in." I'd brushed off her concern, it was only a silly gang, how bad could it be? "Initiation is horrible."

"Relax, I'll be fine," I replied. "I'll be able to actually be with you. It'll be great!" Nothing could go wrong. I was confident. And way too arrogant. But that's how it was.

"Percy, I can't go in there with you. I won't be able to watch." At the time, I'd thought it was because of some weird initiation rule. But now, I knew it was because she wouldn't be able to bear watching me nearly die.

"I'll see you later," I told her, and walked down the alleyway towards my initiation, and the end of my innocence. A bunch of guys watched me walk in, and I waved.

"Hey, I'm Percy," I said. They just laughed at me. So I tried again. "HEY! I'm Percy Jackson, and I want to join up!" Their snickers ceased, and they stared right at me.

"How old are you, kid?" One of the guys asked me gruffly. He had closely shaved black hair and was wearing sunglasses, despite the fact that it was night.

"Fourteen," I replied, keeping my chin up.

"Confident, eh? And young. If you're as good as you think you are, you'll come in handy," he mused. "Alright kid. We've got a mission that I was gonna do, but I think you can do it instead."

"Yeah? I'll do it, what is it?"

"Ah, the young ones. So naive," he smirked. "I'm sure you've heard of the Titans before, kid?"

"Um, yeah," I replied. Were they going to make me fight one of them or something?

"They have something of ours. We'd like it back. They stole a...package of ours, and we'd like you to return it to us. It should be at their hangout."

"Tell me where," I said.

The guy laughed. "Hold on, I haven't finished. You have to survive the night, no hospital, to fully be initiated. Otherwise, we'll leave you to die."

I'd thought they'd been joking. I hadn't known just how serious it was. So I'd gone to the Titan hideout, feeling on top of the world, and I saw the package as soon as I walked in. The hideout itself was a small, abandoned building with two stories, and I could hear people on the second floor above me. I flinched as a beam nearly took out my eye, but it left a decent sized scratch on my forehead. I'd thought that that had been painful.

I'd picked up the box and was heading towards the door when a guy stepped in front of me. He was tall, with blonde hair, and a wicked grin. I sucked in a breath.

"Hey, kid. You lost or something?" He asked. I frowned. I'd thought he would've tried to kill me.

"Yeah, I got lost, and I don't know how to get home," I'd said, trying to sound as scared as possible. Which was pretty easy, seeing as this guy was at least five years older than me and I was alone with him. Even if he seemed friendly so far, I couldn't be sure.

"Hey, I can help you out. I have my car parked outside, I could drop you home," he offered.

"Oh, no, it's fine. I just called my mom and she's coming to get me."

He grinned at me. "Alright, kid. What's in the box?" He asked, nodding to the package I was gripping.

"My console." Wow, how believable, Percy. You just happened to leave your console in an abandoned building. Good job. And so, to distract him from my obvious lie, what did I say next? "What's your name?"

Why did I ask him what his _name_ was? I should've been running!

"Luke Castellan," he answered casually, and I felt slightly better. This guy didn't want to hurt me, he wanted to help me.

"Actually, Luke..." I began, thinking of a plan. "Could you drive me somewhere? My mom's work is really close, and I'd really appreciate it." Then I wouldn't have to walk all the way back to the Half-Blood hideout. Luke smiled and nodded.

"Sure, my car's just out here. So, what's _your_ name, kid?"

"Uh, I'm Percy. Percy Jackson."

Luke unlocked his car, and we both got in. Then he started the engine. "So, Percy, where are we going?"

"Um, Thirty First," I told him. He nodded and began driving in that direction.

"You know, Percy, I don't think I've seen you before," Luke mused. I shook my head.

"No, you probably haven't," I said, starting to get confused. What was he talking about? How could he know me?

"Which means you must be a new recruit. Let me guess, this is your initiation?" I froze, and he stopped the car. Oh hell, what did I just get myself into? "Do you want to know which gang I belong to, Jackson?" I shrugged. I didn't really care, I just wanted out of the car. I tried the doors, but they wouldn't open. "I'm in the Titans. Not very high up, but that doesn't mean I can't kill you."

I scanned the car for anything I could use as a weapon. I was used to being hit around courtesy of my stupid stepfather, Gabe Ugliano, but I knew that this guy would fight smart instead of just aim at me in a drunken rampage. There was nothing in the car except for me, the other dude, and the box I was holding. Maybe I could use whatever was in the box somehow. So I opened it, and looked down at the contents.

A pen. They'd wanted me to steal a _pen_.

Was this a joke? Did they not take me wanting to join seriously? "What the hell?"

Luke smirked. "Oh, they didn't tell you what that does? Wow, the Half-Bloods really _are_ losing their game."

"How'd you know-" Luke cut me off by drawing a knife from the side of his seat. I stared at it, swallowing hard.

"So, Jackson, you wanna join a gang?" I didn't answer. "Well, it's hell. But I'll do you a favor, I'll make tonight so bad, nothing else could possibly compare. How does that sound?" He trailed the knife down my arm, barely grazing me but still drawing blood. I didn't flinch. "Ooh, tough guy, huh? If only they'd told you what that pen does, Percy."

Luke stabbed his knife right at my forehead, and I think I would've died if I hadn't raised my hand to block it. Of course, his blade just sunk into my palm, and I bit my lip to hold back a scream. The blade had probably gone at least halfway through my hand. Luke just laughed and slashed again. I knew he'd just keep going until I was dead, so I retaliated and launched forward, tackling him and making him fall back into the window. In hindsight, that was a really bad idea, because it caused me to barrel over him, and his knife sliced down my stomach and across my hip. I couldn't suppress my yell, and I realized that I was still holding the pen. The cut in my side was at least two inches deep, and I'd probably bleed to death within ten minutes, but as long as I had the pen, I was okay, right? Frustrated, I clicked it and got the surprise of my life when it somehow unfolded into a long, deadly looking knife. Luke looked at me in surprise, and I noticed a twinge of fear in his eyes.

Now that I had a weapon, I felt better. I sliced at his arm, and he barely managed to deflect it. Then he grinned.

"You wanna step it up, Jackson? Fine by me." My stomach dropped when I realized that he hadn't been fighting at his full potential. I put up an okay fight, considering I'd never had any experience, except for occasionally punching Gabe and fights at school, but they were nothing compared to this. I managed to slash Luke's cheek, and gasped as blood trickled down the side of his face. But that only made him angrier. He disarmed me straight away, and began punching and kicking me. He landed blow after blow, and I was in too much pain to fight back. I'd managed to put the knife back in my pocket (in pen form), just in case I somehow made it out of here alive. But I also had to survive the night, without going to a hospital, and I was way too far in to give up now. It was either join or get killed.

I felt like death. Both my eyes were nearly swollen shut, but it wasn't like I could see straight anyway with my vision swimming and black spots clouding what little I _could_ see. My lips had split, and they were puffed up and bleeding. And that was only my face. I felt like someone's personal punching bag, with all the bruises I could already feel forming. Luke's next strike slashed through my calf, and suddenly, the pain faded away. All I could feel was adrenaline racing through my veins, and I dodged the next punch, pressed the unlock door button on his car keys, and kicked him in the face, right where I'd cut him. Then I climbed out of the car and sprinted down the alley. I knew my energy boost wouldn't last long, and I had to make it back to the hideout. I was nearly there when my vision went completely black. No, no, I _couldn't_ pass out now, I _had_ to make it back! I couldn't fail..I couldn't...

I ran on, my thoughts blurring together and my ears ringing with the nearby traffic. I had to make it. I had the pen. All I had to do now was stay alive. Which was sounding a lot harder with every passing second. Finally I stumbled into the alley, and the same dude from before was waiting. I retrieved the pen from my pocket, and held it up. I couldn't stand any more and collapsed to my knees, but managed to stay conscious long enough to hear the dude's last words.

"You know, maybe this kid is as tough as he sounds." I didn't hear what the replies were, because I finally succumbed to temptation and let my mind drift into unconsciousness.

 **END FLASHBACK**

I stared up at the sky and realized that the fire was probably already started, and the firecrackers would be going off soon. I did feel calmer though, which was a relief. I hated remembering my past, but sometimes it helped, in a weird sense. A flash of movement to my left caught my eye, and my head whipped to the side. I didn't see their face, but I knew that blonde hair, that confident walk, the tall figure. Luke Castellan was here, at my summer camp.

"Fuck," I swore, and stood up. I had to get to the fire. I didn't know what I'd do, but there must've been a reason for him to be here, right? And it was probably because of me, since he'd taken to hating me even more than usual lately. I sprinted back to the edge of the forest, and I'd nearly made it back to the fire when I realized my wig. I carefully placed it back on my head and strolled into the clearing. No one even glanced my way, excluding Beth. She was sitting near the back, and she waved when she saw me.

"Glad you could make it," she whispered, and gestured to everyone else, who were all singing some dumb song. "The crackers'll be going off soon. Are you ready for everyone to get the fright of their life?"

I grinned back at her. "You bet. This is gonna be awesome."

"Now all we need is Flight of the Bumblebee to start playing and we're set."

"That would've been the perfect touch," I agreed. "Too bad we don't-is that an iPod?"

She grinned and slid her thumb across it to unlock it. "Not mine, actually, but I downloaded it before. You're welcome."

"Holy crap, you're a genius!"

"I know," she said smugly. I was about to reply when the first firecracker was set off, and everyone screamed when it shot into the air. Beth started playing the song, and we both sat there, laughing at the other campers and admiring the display we'd created. It did look pretty awesome.

Beth turned to face me, and her entire face was lit up, making her look a billion times more beautiful. We shared a smile, and she didn't protest when I leaned down to kiss her for the second (third if you count the mummy) time that day. And no, this time we didn't fall out of a stable.

 **Annabeth's POV**

Pierre had told me to meet him by the canoe lake, and I'd said sure, because I had nothing better to do at seven in the evening. I was the first to arrive, and I sat down underneath one of the trees as I waited. I wondered what he had in store. When he came into view I waved and he froze.

"Hey! Uh, I was supposed to get here first...did I seriously screw this up already? Um, do you mind looking the other way for like five minutes?" He asked, running his hand over his hand. I chuckled and spun around.

"Go ahead. And you're not late, I'm just really early."

"I should've set up earlier," he muttered.

"Hey, don't trust a perfect person," I said cryptically. I'd heard a Twenty One Pilots song that said not to trust a perfect person, and I'd taken that advice to heart. I heard Pierre moving something, but I didn't want to look to see what.

"Was that a TOP reference?"

I felt my jaw drop. "How did you pick that up?"

"Hey," he said, and I could practically feel the shrug in his voice. "I've heard the song. I...don't actually know how I picked up on that. I'm normally pretty dumb."

"That'll be my brilliant influence," I cracked.

"Maybe. That's just a sign that I should spend more time with you."

"Was that an offer or an order?"

He paused. "That would depend on your willingness."

"Then I'm up for it." I waited for about two more minutes until he finally said, "okay, I'm done." I turned around and gaped. He'd set up a postcard-perfect picnic, with an old school basket and white and red rug. "Oh my gods, Pierre!"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Is it too cliche? I knew I should've got the other rug-" I cut him off with a hug.

"No, it's amazing! I can't believe you actually went to this much effort," I told him in awe, sitting down on the rug and staring out at the lake below us. He took a seat beside me and grinned.

"What, no one's ever done something like this for you?" I shook my head. "I don't believe that. You're too beautiful to not have anyone put effort in."

I felt my cheeks heat up slightly at the compliment, and I smiled widely at him. "I don't suppose you have food in that basket?"

He snorted. "What kind of awful person wouldn't bring food to their first date?" He lifted the flap of the basket and pulled out a bunch of delicate ham sandwiches. I gaped at them, and Pierre chortled.

"Oh, I didn't make these. That would be Katie," he explained. I raised my eyebrows.

"Really? What'd you have to do to get her help?"

"Well, she was the main reason I came to talk to you at the stables yesterday. I was too much of a coward to do it without someone encouraging me." He frowned when I started laughing. "Is the fact that I couldn't do it myself really bad?"

"No, no," I assured him. "It's just...it's nice that you admitted that. Most guys I know wouldn't dream mentioning how they were too much of a wimp to talk to me."

"Well, most of the guys you know are jerks," he stated. I started chuckling.

"Oh, if only you knew. One in particular, he's an asshole, but I don't want to think about him right now. Do you know any particularly awful girls?"

Pierre started laughing. "Like, all of them? Really, though, I don't usually...pay all that much attention to most girls. I kinda...ignore them, I guess. There's one that's pretty infuriating though. I may have driven her to it."

"Really? I can't imagine you being bad enough to make someone hate you," I said truthfully.

He shrugged, grinning. "Oh, you wouldn't believe it. This girl, though, she thinks I'm a massive prick. She kinda has the right to.I don't know what to make of her now, though."

"What'd you do to her? Nothing horrible, I hope?"

"You don't need to worry. It's not...it's just one of those relationships where we automatically hate each other. Do you get that?" The feeling where you hate someone as soon as you look at them? Oh, yes. I get that very much.

"Yeah. Definitely," I told him.

"Well, I don't like thinking about that, and I'm sure you don't either, so let's change the subject. What do you wanna do after high school?"

If I didn't end up dead because I finally pushed some gang leader too far? "Well, my mom says that I can go to this really elite college since she pulled some strings, and I can take over from her at her architecture firm."

He tilted his head. "Not what you think you're going to do. What you _want_ to do."

He'd piqued my attention there. "There's a difference?"

He nodded. "Yeah, of course. I don't think I'm _going_ to do very well in life, but I _want_ to do something around the water. Even if it's just as a lifeguard or something."

"I'd like to be an architect," I said. "But...I want to do it in my own time, and travel a lot. My mom wants me to stay here and design everyday type buildings that'll earn lots of money, nothing new or interesting."

"That's cool. You're smart, so you'll do well in anything you do. But me, I'm not that great at anything. I don't really think about the future, because I'm afraid of what it holds for me." He was staring out at the lake, a far-away look in his eyes. I knew that look. I stared up at the branches overhead and watched as the leaves danced in the breeze.

"I think that you'll be happy wherever you end up. Me, yeah, maybe I'll get some fancy job and get paid a good wage. But I don't think I'll end up where I'd like to be." That was because I'd probably end up dead in an alley, instead. I chewed my lip and rocked back and forth. "Well off, but not content."

"Isn't that always the way?" Pierre muttered darkly. I turned my head to look at him, and he had leaned his head back against the tree, seeming to be deep in thought.

"Unhappy and well off, or happy and living a sucky life. I don't think I fall into either," I mused. He arched an eyebrow at me, and I continued. "My life sucks, and I'm not exactly happy about it. That's why I'm on this camp, to get away from everything."

He nodded in sympathy. "Yeah, I get it. I'm like you, except I kinda chose the shit in my life."

"Why would you do that?"

"It was...a spur of the moment thing. Heart over head, and all that." We both fell silent, and I watched as a school of fish swam just below the surface of the canoe lake. "Hey, Beth?"

"Yeah?"

"Ever wanted to know how to canoe like a pro?"

I'd always been shaky around the water. Once when I'd been on holiday somewhere near the Bermuda Triangle and I don't know what had driven me to do it, but I'd had the urge to jump off of the side of our boat. I'd almost drowned until someone had swam down to save me. I remembered it had been a boy around my age, but that was it.

And now I was back in a boat. I didn't know how to feel.

"Okay, you're doing fine. Just keep your knees up under the edges. You're okay, Beth." Pierre had put up with my nerves, and I was starting to get used to the feel of being in the canoe. He was keeping the boat steady while I teeter-tottered, practicing righting myself. "Why are you so scared of the water?"

"It's not that I'm scared, necessarily," I explained, and stabbed my paddle into the water. "I've just...had a bad experience. I'm actually a decent swimmer, but boats...I'm afraid of them." After all, a boat had somehow given me the desire to drown myself.

"Boats can't hurt you."

"Tell that to my younger self," I mumbled, and managed to stop myself from tipping out. "I think I'm actually getting it, now."

"I think you're starting to get over the fear. Which is-" I tuned out when I saw someone in the bushes. Oh no, oh no, oh gods no!

Luke Castellan was staring right at me.

 **So, it says that I've gotten more reviews, but they aren't showing up so I'll reply to them next chapter instead. But I gotta go, so bye!**

 **HV**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N**

 **I'm back! My heart wasn't really into writing the camp stuff any more, and I'd already written half this chapter, so I just decided to go with this. A lot of you will probably hate me after reading this but...yeah.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Annabeth's POV**

Luckily, Luke hadn't interfered, and everything had gone fine. It was the last day of camp, and he hadn't shown his face since, which relieved me to no end. But I was worried, too; if Luke had known that was me (which I didn't doubt, even though no one ever seemed to recognize each other in disguise), I could be in serious trouble. I tried to brush it off, but the uneasy feeling didn't truly leave me. I was almost happy to leave camp, because it meant it didn't have to hide anymore.

Unfortunately, it also meant returning to my sucky life, which was probably worse. But at least my problems would come right at me, not lurking in the shadows, waiting for a chance to strike.

My friends had seemed to pick up on my mood.

"Hey, Beth, are you feeling okay?" Katie asked in concern.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," I replied absentmindedly. No, I was _not_ fine, because I thought that Luke would come out at any moment, demanding something or the other from me. I realized that I had been wringing my hands together and dropped them at my sides.

"Sure you are." I turned around to see Pierre, standing with a hand on his hip. "Beth, it's obvious that something's wrong." He put his hands on my shoulders. " _Are_ you okay?"

I looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "Yeah. Don't worry about it." He sighed but dropped his hands, leaving the subject be. My phone rang and I immediately answered. "Hi, mom."

"Hey Annabeth, I'm here, so whenever you're ready to go you can come out."

"Sure, mom. See you soon." I hung up and turned to the others, who were watching me curiously. "Okay, before I go there's something that needs addressing." I glanced up at Pierre and he grinned, knowing what I was getting at. I took his hand. "Katie, Travis-"

"Oh, no! I know what you're going to say and I-"

Pierre cut the older Stoll brother off. "Dude, please. You've _both_ admitted that you like each other, just not _to_ each other."

"I told you that in total confidence!" Katie exclaimed, glaring at him. Travis spun to face her.

"So, wait...you _do_ like me?"

She sighed in exasperation. "Yes I like you, you idiot! I've been dropping hints the past four days!"

Travis looked dumbfounded. "Oh, well, I uh..."

"I get it, you don't like me back. I understand. But gods, you can just be so _dense_ -"

"Hey! It's not my fault I'm not good with feelings!"

"What's that supposed to mean? That you're too nice to let me down gently?"

"Maybe it means I just don't know how to tell you I like you, okay!" He exclaimed. Then he realized what he'd said. "Well, I that wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."

Katie gaped at him while Connor, Pierre and I watched in amusement. Will had left early, so he wasn't there to witness the moment. "Travis...you...what?"

Pierre cleared his throat and interjected smoothly, "I believe that you both just proclaimed your love for each other. So, I don't see what the problem is now."

Katie and Travis stared at each other, not saying anything. Connor opened his mouth but I put a finger to my lips.

"I think we should leave this two alone for a bit, let them talk it out. The boys stared at me in confusion. I rolled my eyes and grabbed their arms, pulling them down the hill.

I felt my phone buzz again and knew I should be leaving. "I've got to go. It was really great meeting you guys."

Connor winked at me. "Right back at ya!" Pierre gave him a look, and Connor snapped his fingers. "Well, I've got somewhere to be which isn't here, so I'll be going! Bye!"

I shook my head, laughing as he ran away. We began walking to the camp entrance.

"This has been fun," Pierre said lightly as we made our way down the path. I nodded my agreement.

"It's probably been the weirdest week of my life. But...it was probably also the greatest."

"I'd like to think that that's because of me," he joked. I punched his arm lightly.

"Don't flatter yourself." We fell silent for a moment. Then:

"Hey, Beth? What do we do now?"

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Well, I doubt that we'll be able to see each other when we get back to our normal lives. You and me...is it going to work?"

I bit my lip. Pierre was someone I felt happy with, that made me feel safe, like I could actually be myself, even if I was wearing a disguise. I didn't _want_ to go back to the way it was, but I knew it was inevitable. I had tried not to get too attached, but I had failed in that. "I...I don't know."

"I just want you to know that, even if we don't see each other again, I really enjoyed it while it lasted. I loved this week, and spending time with you, and it was nice to live in the moment for once, with you."

"I agree. I..." I didn't feel the need to say anything more. "I agree." We continued walking in silence, and I saw my mom's car parked a few yards away. "I guess this is it," I said softly.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he replied, just as quietly.

"I'll miss you," I said, and then I turned and hugged him tightly. He returned it.

"I'll miss you too. Who knows, maybe we'll see each other again some day."

"Yeah," I agreed, nodding. "Maybe.

I was in my room, mulling things. over. The previous week had been amazing, a small snapshot of my life I could look back on and smile at. But it didn't last for long. Jason had called me earlier and told me what SPQR wanted me to do in order to return their favor. He didn't like it, but he'd had no say in the matter. He'd said I didn't have to do it, that there'd be other opportunities. I knew that wasn't true.

They wanted Half-Blood territory, but didn't want to do anything to start that fight themselves, so they wanted me to try pull something to get them angry, since whoever was attacked got the rights in the fight, so they needed the Half-Bloods to strike first. They'd said to use my brain, figure something out. Apparently my smarts had been leaked to the public. Joy.

So I was thinking of ideas, trying to think up ways to avoid capture. No one would vouch for me, or come to my rescue if I screwed up. As you can imagine, I was rightly nervous. And it wasn't like I could just turn down their offer without consequences. I buried my head in my hands, groaning.

"Why me?" A simple enough question, one asked by many, and yet no one ever got an answer.

I wanted to get it over with, so I formulated a plan in my head. The Half-Blood hot-spot was within walking distance to my house, so I could make it there and back before school started, since it was only four a.m. I'd barely gotten any sleep, which might dull my senses if anyone snuck up on me, but I doubted many other people would be up at this ungodly hour.

Quietly, I crept past my mom's room, hoping I wouldn't wake her. Once I was out the door, I released the breath I'd been holding. But the hard part wasn't over yet. I clutched my spray can tightly as I tiptoed down alley after alley.

The hide-out wasn't exactly secret, but enough people saw the graffiti and broken bottles and ran in the other direction. It had tall brick walls surrounding three sides, and was littered with old furniture which was way past its used by date. I eyed a stray pillow in disgust, and kicked at a cigarette packet. You'd think they'd have _some_ sense of cleanliness, but no.

I sized up the walls thoughtfully, wondering how I should redecorate. After a lot of consideration, I came up with an idea.

 **Percy's POV**

I'd just got back from holiday and they wanted me to do stake-out duty. Seriously, who the hell made that dumb decision? But was the night quiet and lonely without no one in sight and no need for me to do anything? Oh, no! I watched as Annabeth entered the hideout from my stake out position. Shit. I'd had a feeling SPQR were gonna spring something like this, because it would put the Half-Bloods in an awkward position. If we didn't know who it was, we couldn't just start a random war with anyone. But if we _didn't_ retaliate, it made us look bad. And if someone like Annabeth who wasn't in a gang was inflicting the damage, then what could we do? Since she'd already started, I took my time heading down there. Besides, I was kinda curious as to what she was gonna do. And at least was only her. I could get back into my normal character by messing with her. I needed it, especially after last week.

I kicked a can in frustration. Who was I kidding? I'd never see Beth again. The one part of my life that didn't completely suck would never reappear. I'd lost my chance at something better. But I focused my attention back on Annabeth, where she was still messing with my gang's hideout.

She came out ten minutes later. Or would've, if I hadn't stepped into her path.

"What would someone like you be doing in a gang hotspot at five a.m., sweetheart?"

"I could ask the same about you," she sniffed disdainfully, trying to edge past me. I blocked her every time.

"I mean, seeing as it is _my_ gang, I think I have the entitlement," I replied smoothly. Slipping back into routine was easier than I thought. Or maybe it was just her, making my job easier.

She raised an eyebrow. "You know the word 'entitlement'?"

"You know it too?" I asked, widening my eyes. "Well, I thought I was the only one."

"Where's the rest of you, Jackson?" She asked warily, pinching her nose. "Your gang?"

I flapped a hand. "Pfft, them? Probably too stoned to care," I added ruefully.

"So what are you going to do? You caught me red-handed," she reminded me, placing her hands on her hips. I tilted my head, and peered over her shoulder to see what she'd done to the hideout. And I was slightly impressed.

The logo of every gang except the Half-Bloods was sprayed on one wall in an interlinking pattern (which actually looked pretty cool), and I found it kinda amusing how it sort of represented unity between the other gangs, because there was none of that whatsoever.

"I'm impressed, Chase, and I'm in a good mood. Tell you what, I'll cut you a deal," I offered, which I thought was awfully nice of me. "You join the gang, you don't get any punishment whatsoever! Amazing deal, right?" I didn't know what I was trying to pull, and she apparently didn't either.

She eyed me skeptically. "I don't want to join your gang, Jackson."

"Ah, that's the thing, Chase," I began, holding up a finger like those annoying know-it-all teachers. I finally understood the satisfaction they got from doing that. Huh. "It's not about what you want, because, news flash: no one ever gets what they want. It's always a compromise, and even if you _think_ you're satisfied, you're never really getting exactly what you'd hope. And right now, it's not a matter of wants, it's a matter of needs, because if you don't join, there'll be repercussions."

I was pretty proud of my speech, and I thought it could even be Oscar-worthy, but she apparently didn't agree.

"Why can't you just...leave me alone for once? You promised," she added, and I felt slightly guilty. I didn't like going back on my word, but she _was_ vandalizing my home base. What was I supposed to do?

"Says the one on _my_ territory," I drawled, staring at her with an eyebrow raised.

She was bouncing on her toes, obviously keen to get out of there. I didn't blame her, actually. If I saw myself in a dark alley, I'd want to run too. "Look, I don't want a fight, and I'm sorry about the vandalism, but I had no choice. I think you knew that," she added suspiciously. I sighed.

"Okay, neither of us wants to be here right now, and it's not like I can make you take all of that," I gestured to her graffiti. "back, and I can't be bothered doing anything, plus I _did_ promise to leave you alone. So how about we both walk away and pretend nothing ever happened?"

"Really?" She asked, peering at me curiously. It was clear she didn't trust me, but I held up my hands and motioned for her to walk past.

"Go ahead."

She took a step, glanced up at me, then paused. "Thanks, Jackson. You can be half decent sometimes."

"Gee, thanks, Chase," I smirked. "Only half decent?"

She flashed a wry smile back. "Oh, come on. I think even you knows how much of a douche you are." I was about to retort when I heard a chuckle about five yards away. My head whipped in that direction and I cursed under my breath.

"Well, Jackson. You take the week off and actually manage to do something good when you get back. How nice of you," Dionysus drawled. I stared at him.

"Why the hell are you here? You never care about any of the us," I said bitterly.

"Am I interrupting one of your flings? How rude of me." He didn't sound at all sorry. "But you did choose an...interesting lady."

"Is that the only Hermes mentioned?" I glanced at the person who had spoken, and mentally swore. Tantalus, the biggest asshole on the planet, had decided to join the party. Annabeth had turned very pale.

Dionysus clapped with delight. "I do believe so! And you know what running an errand for a gang means, don't you, Chase?"

Annabeth froze, and she looked at me desperately. What was I going do? Yeah, I did feel kinda bad, but it's not like she could get out of this. And going against Dionysus directly was an assured death threat. "Go on, sweetheart. Answer him." The remark had left my mouth before I could think about it. Shut up, Percy! Don't harass her when she's literally going through one of the worst moments of her life!

She gaped up at me in disgust. "Shut it! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this whole situation in the first place!"

"Oh? I wasn't aware I was the one who made you join the Titans."

"Why are you trying to ruin my life? Is yours really so shit that you feel the need to take it out on a girl who did nothing to you?"

I bent my head so I was at her height and lowered my voice. "Look, Chase, you know it's impossible to escape the gang scene. It doesn't happen. You really thought leaving the Titans would help you? No, you're just going to get yourself killed," I said. "It's either join or die. Which sounds more appealing to you?"

I wasn't ready for the slap. I blinked in surprise. Dionysus and Tantalus laughed from where they were standing.

"How cute! But Chase, if you don't want to join us, I see that there's a _lovely_ new mural behind you, and I wouldn't want you to come to any harm over it." Liar. Dionysus _thrived_ in causing people pain. He loved it. He twisted people and manipulated them for his own sick enjoyment.

Annabeth glared at him and flipped him off. I choked back a laugh. She scowled at me and Dionysus raised an eyebrow in my direction. I waved him off.

"If you're not going to take this seriously, Miss Chase..." he trailed off and gestured to me. I knew what I had to do, and in one second I had my arm around her neck, my pen/knife at her throat and my leg over hers so she wouldn't be able to run away (if she was dumb enough to try) or kick at me.

"I hate you," she whispered, but not with her usual fire. Now, her voice sounded broken and wary. All because of me.

"Love you too, sweetheart. I know you're liking our proximity," I whispered back, smirking. I didn't need Dionysus or Tantalus thinking I was weak by showing her sympathy. Tantalus stepped forward and chortled at my last comment.

"My my Jackson, don't get her hopes up," He snickered, poking Annabeth experimentally. She snarled at him.

"As if she'd be lucky enough to score me," I answered in a bored tone. I'd learned the hard way that feigning disinterest lost Tantalus' amusement.

"Although she is smarter than Tanaka, so maybe she'd be good for you. Lend you some brains." I gritted my teeth, but didn't reply. I was sure Annabeth could feel me tensing up, though. "But maybe not quite as creative as Dare. Are you two still a thing? I can never remember. You move quite fast, you see."

"Stop rambling, Tantalus," Dionysus snapped. "Chase, if you don't join, I'll have Jackson slit your throat right now. Judging by the way you two regard each other, I'm sure you'll have no doubt that he _will_ , in fact, do it."

"I'm not afraid of Percy," she said defiantly, meeting Dionysus' gaze. Shit, now they'd both know that she'd found out my name.

I looked over her head at the two assholes. "Sorry, _Annabeth_ doesn't know what she's talking about." She elbowed me, and I let my knife graze her skin. She hesitated, then stood still.

Dionysus and Tantalus exchanged a glance. "They know each other better than I thought. That might come in handy on missions. They can go together! How adorable." I glared at Tantalus. He wanted a reaction? He'd get one.

Dionysus cut in before I could say anything, though. "Tantalus, be quiet. Jackson, don't retort. Tantalus may find your remarks amusing, but I don't like smartasses. Chase, you've got ten seconds. Make up your mind."

Annabeth looked down at her feet, and I could tell she was curious about the cut on her neck, too. I grabbed one of her hands and placed it on her throat. "And it's only gonna get worse, sweetheart."

"Fine!" She yelled. "I'll join your _stupid_ gang. But I don't want anything to do with _him_ ," she said, pointing her free hand at me. So she really _did_ hate me. And if I wasn't going to see her as much, I wanted to poke fun at her one last time. What could I say, it was fun.

I leaned down and pressed my lips against her ear. "Then let me change your mind, baby."

Tantalus howled with laughter, and Annabeth's glared hardened. "I wish I'd never met you! Now that l've agreed, get your hands _off_ of me." I stepped back, holding up my palms.

"Whatever you say, babe."

"Fuck off!" She shrieked over her shoulder as she stormed away. I watched her go, and I felt kind of hollow. Maybe all the rude comments were finally catching up to me. Tantalus glanced at me approvingly.

"Jackson, you never fail to amuse me."

"Glad I could entertain you," I muttered, before walking away from them. I heard him call out after me, but I kept walking. I was getting tired of it. It wasn't just Tantalus but every single person in my life, giving me shit for one thing or the other. And I hated it.

"Why can't I just catch a break?" In response, a car sped down the road and drove through a puddle, spraying me with dirty water. I stared down at my reflection and sighed, leaning back against a wall.

Because I was Percy Jackson. Sometimes, that really sucked.

Who was I kidding, it didn't just suck 'sometimes'. My whole life was a freaking shit fest.

 **Is it bad that I found this fun to write? Yeah, it probably is. Oh well.**

 **Reviewer Replies:**

 **neyongreen - what can I say? At least I updated kinda quick. For me, anyway. You've been reading this long enough to know how I am with updating**

 **LunaLovegood220022 - First off, thanks for all the reviews! And for actually answering the questions. I agree about the recognizing each other, I was just so enraptured by the idea of the story that I kinda bypassed that. I do have some half-assed way of explaining it that I could put in, but I'm open to suggestions if you have any. I'm glad you love it, and I'm nearly halfway through the Dark Prophecy!**

 **Psyche Castle - He has a lot of inner turmoil and I feel bad for making his life so terrible, but it'll get better No, really! And I'll try to update soon!**

 **Guest - I completely agree, it is seriously unrealistic like I said before, but I have a really lame idea for explaining it. If you've got any suggestions, I'm all ears**

 **1quintisfan - I hope the lack of Luke in this chapter pleases you. I'm looking forward to Percy getting his revenge. I'm glad you're still liking my story!**

 **Guest - Thanks, I'm glad you like the idea, and I hope you keep reading (even if it takes me an age to update every chapter!)**

 **Hope that was everyone! Now, until next time,**

 **HV**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N**

 **I know that this story is completely unrealistic. I know my writing may not always be that great. But I have a love for this story which I don't emulate for any of my other stories, except maybe Fall For Me. I've become pretty attached to it, and I don't want it to end but it's probably about halfway now, or just before halfway. Like, two fifths. This chapter may seem kinda bipolar, because I wrote it in three sessions and I felt completely different for each of them. Anyway, I'll just get on with it.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Percy's POV**

I was in a bad mood. I was tired and angry at the world. I'd barely remembered my contacts and wig that morning, but at that moment I couldn't care less. I hadn't changed before I'd fallen asleep last night, so I was wearing the same jeans and shirt. I'd plucked an old hoodie off the floor, which was lowered over my eyes. I couldn't shake the mood, and I knew school wouldn't help. The teachers didn't care that I had ADHD _and_ dyslexia, they just _loved_ sending me to the office. And I tried to keep to myself when I was at school, so I didn't really have any friends. I mean sure, a lot of the girls liked me, but they weren't exactly friend material. Actually, most people that had decent brains hated me. The things you do to yourself for love, huh?

I slipped into my first period math class just as the bell rang. I scanned the class briefly, and saw Annabeth sitting in the corner of the room on her own. Since every other seat was taken, I moved to sit next to her. She eyed me warily but didn't say anything. Judging by the fact that she was dressed similarly to me and looking just as disheveled, I figured she was having a shit day too.

"How's your throat?" I asked conversationally, staring at the front of the room. She glanced at me briefly before looking away.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

"Yes, that's why I asked."

She sighed loudly. "Why do you care? It's because of you."

"It's because of you not staying still, actually," I replied sharply. "And I care because, believe it or not, I actually have a heart."

"I never would've guessed," she muttered. We sat in silence while the class started, everyone else chatting away and smiling and laughing. I thought I was imagining it when Annabeth spoke again.

"Why did you do it, then?"

"Do what?" I asked in confusion.

She turned to face me. "Join the Half-Bloods. Surely you didn't join by choice." I tried to smirk at her, but the gesture fell flat.

"That's not your business," I replied curtly, looking back at the whiteboard. Only one person knew why I actually joined, and she practically hated me now. Which backfired, since _she_ was the only reason I'd wanted in.

I saw her sly grin from out the corner of my eye. "Well, _babe_ , it is now that I'm a part of your crew!" My eyes narrowed and I noticed the rage and malice lurking in her stare. "Which is completely _your_ fault, by the way." I gritted my teeth and tried not to flinch at the dig. I'd been trying to deny it, but it _was_ all my fault that she was in the Half-Bloods now. In fact, even if it was inevitable she'd have to get back into the gang scene, I'd just sped up her initiation.

"It...doesn't matter, okay? It's stupid," I muttered, slouching down further in my seat.

"If it didn't matter you'd have no problem telling me."

"I fell in love, okay!" I said, raising my voice. A few heads turned in my direction, so I added in a quieter voice, "Are you happy now? I did it for love." I let my head drop into my hands.

She seemed unsure of what to say next, so I beat her to the chase. Chase, ha. I'd just made a joke. I laughed humorlessly and opened my mouth to reply to her. "Percy Jackson actually loved someone? He has a heart? Wow, I didn't mean to shock you into speechlessness."

"There are plenty of things I'd like to say, but I won't. I have a question, though. How come you look as shit as me today?"

I barked a laugh. "Life sucks. That good enough for you?"

"No," she said bluntly. "Last night, I was the one who got initiated, not you. You shouldn't be feeling like I am."

I threw up my hands. "Look, Chase, it _is_ all my fault. You think I don't know that? I feel _bad_ , Annabeth. I don't like people getting hurt because of me."

"How shocking," she muttered. "All you _do_ is hurt people! I mean, ever wonder why no one _likes_ you?" I stared at her, red hot anger flaring. The first emotion I'd felt all morning. Yes okay, so it was all true, but it was out of line for her to say it.

"No, I don't wonder, because I already know why everyone hates me! I'm a jerk, I _have_ to be a jerk, and I've learnt to live with the consequences."

"Learnt to 'live with the consequences'? That sounds like a shit way to live."

That's when something inside of me snapped. "Yeah? You say all this shit about me, but what do you want me to do? Do you want me to change who I am? People don't change, Carter! They just get bitter and cynical until it becomes them completely! Trust me, _I would know_." I glared at her for a minute before looking away and ignoring her completely. "Of course I'd know," I muttered. "I'm a prime example." She didn't reply, which I decided to take as a stunned silence. Good. Maybe if she knows that I _know_ I'm not perfect, she'll stop hating me so much. Not that I cared if she hated me or not.

Aw hell, I _didn't_ want her to hate me, because even though we weren't real close, we talked quite a lot. She was one of the people who kinda knew me (but not quite), and if she hated me it meant that everyone else automatically would, too. And I didn't want that.

At least that's what I told myself, anyway.

 **Annabeth's POV**

I was an official member of the Half-Bloods. The thought made me sick to my stomach. I had thought over what Percy had said before, how he'd joined the gang because of love. I found that hard to believe. The Percy Jackson I knew didn't love anybody. He appeared so confident and girls were drawn to him like magnets, but they weren't true friends or lovers.

"AGHHH!" I screamed, drawing odd looks from passersby. I was on my way to the hideout, since Percy had come up to me during my free period and told me that Dionysus had wanted me. He'd done it in a curt, uncaring manner, so some of the weirdness from maths was still there. I hoped it would go away eventually. I liked routine, and when that routine was messed with, I didn't usually tend to take things well. Like now. Me, Annabeth Chase, in the _Half Bloods?_ It didn't fit. And yet here I was, walking into the famous hideout. I noted with pride that my mural was still there.

"Hello, Miss Chase," Tantalus greeted, a wide grin tainting his features. I sneered at him in response. I noticed about twenty other Half-Bloods gathered.

"What is this, my welcoming party?" I said loudly. I spied the bane of my existence in the crowd and he smirked at me, lifting a jaunty hand. I stuck my middle finger at him.

"What's _she_ doing here?" A girl asked sourly, looking me over.

"Didn't you hear? You've got a new recruit," I exclaimed. "How cool!"

A dark-haired boy stepped forward and looked at Tantalus questioningly. "Dude, _her?_ You know who she is, right?"

I noticed that Dionysus wasn't there and suppressed a snort. What a great leader.

"Yo, Mason, we've already been over it. D'you know how much Castellan'll hate it? His reaction'll be priceless." I narrowed my eyes at Percy. He raised an eyebrow. "Hi, Chase. What, you thought I'd miss your welcome party? No way!"

"You know her?" Oh god, please don't tell me I'd get the jealous bunch of girls on my back. I really didn't need that. Luckily, there only seemed to be one extremely clingy one though. Phew.

Percy raised a palm. "Yeah, Diaz. We're pretty well acquainted, eh Chase?"

"You keep believing that," I told him. A few of the boys snickered, but Percy's glare shut them up.

"Oh, do you want me to tell everyone about our past...encounters? You guys wanna hear a story?" He added in a louder voice, turning to his fellow gang mates. _Our_ fellow gang mates, I should say. Yeesh.

"Of course I do!" Yet another girl had practically draped herself over Percy. I held back a smirk and he winked at me. I simply lifted an eyebrow.

"Which story are you thinking of telling, honey? I personally _love_ the one from the bank," I said, tilting my chin up. The girl's eyes narrowed at my use of the word 'honey'. God, how immature could you _get?_

"Well, darling, I just _happen_ to love that one where you got sent to the hospital! In fact, that was your initiation, right?"

I glared at him. "Don't you dare mention that-"

"I'll mention it if I want to, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that, either, you-"

"Alright!" Tantalus chimed in. "Miss Chase is our newest recruit, and you can't change that, so stop arguing! That goes for you too, Chase. Already arguing with Jackson, gosh. I can tell this is going to be an interesting year."

"It's April," someone pointed out.

"Psh, details. Now, Chase, I've got a little...mission for you! How do you feel about that?"

I snorted. "What is this, therapy? You already know my opinion on being here, but of course I don't get a say."

Tantalus clapped his hands together. "Brilliant! Now we've agreed on that, here's my proposition! You'll go...return the favor that you kindly bestowed on us. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about and don't need me to elaborate. The Titans, please."

I did know what he was talking about. I gaped at him. "Are you serious? No way! I'll be killed!"

"Maybe."

"I am _so_ not going to-"

"I'll even send someone with you to help you out! Isn't that nice of me?"

"Yeah," I muttered. "Real kind of you."

"Jackson, you seem to know her pretty well," Tantalus grinned, and my jaw dropped in horror. "Why don't you go with her?"

"Why does Jackson get _all_ the hot chicks?" I heard someone mutter. I scowled in their direction.

Percy raised his palms. "Hey, I'm sure some other guy would just _love_ to go with her-"

"You aren't getting out of this," Tantalus said flatly.

Percy shrugged. "What the hell, fine. We'll get some... _quality time_ together, Chase. I can hardly wait."

"Well, it's settled then!" Tantalus exclaimed. "Tomorrow night, you know when and where since you've _both_ been to the Titans hotspot, as I've heard." I narrowed my eyes. When had Percy been to the Titans hideout? I'd definitely never seen him there, and I'd been there for ten years. Percy must have caught my confused look because he drew a finger across his throat. His meaning was clear, _don't ask_. Which only compelled me to want to find out more.

"Alright, Chase. I'll meet you here at seven," Percy said, winking.

"You make it sound way more glorified than it really is," I grumbled.

"What can I say, I'm a glorious person," he said arrogantly. I snickered at him and nodded mockingly.

"Sure, sweetheart," I told him. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Seven o'clock. Believe it or not, it's a prime time for town on a Monday. I guess everyone just needs a drink to help them forget about the awful day they've probably had. I understood entirely.

"Hey, Annabeth." I jumped and turned around, trying to shake off my brief moment of fright.

" _Don't_ do that," I said harshly. Percy merely shrugged and came to stand beside me. We were about to go vandalize the Titans. In some inexplicable way, I was excited. But instead of indulging that feeling, I focused on my annoyance.

"Let's go, then." He grabbed my arm and tugged me down the street. "We don't have all night."

"Actually, we can't go in 'til ten. They'll have a meeting tonight until nine thirty," I informed him, and I couldn't help the twinge of satisfaction I felt for knowing something he didn't.

He sighed but didn't relent his grip on me. "Then we'll be early. Maybe we can braid each others hair and paint our nails if we have time." I didn't miss the obvious sarcasm and kept quiet for the remainder of our walk. We found a position near our target, from which we could see the door and signs of anyone arriving or leaving. Neither of us seemed to be willing to break the silence, because it would most likely lead to an argument and I was almost certain that neither one of us could be bothered to fight right now.

Boredom, eventually, was what got the best of me. I had a burning question which had gripped me and refused to let go. "Percy, when have you been here before?" I knew that I'd struck a nerve by the way his jaw clenched.

"Just some mission," he replied airily, waving a hand in obvious dismissal. I narrowed my eyes.

"No, it's more than that. What happened?"

He meet my gaze and rolled his eyes. "God, Chase, since when do you care about my life?"

"We're stuck together and I'm bored. So, why were you here the last time?" I pressed, genuine curiosity in my voice.

He sighed loudly and crossed his legs, sitting directly opposite me. "Tantalus sent me with you because this place was my initiation." I opened my mouth to say something, but Percy cut me off before I could. "I had to...retrieve something. I nearly died. Well, I _did_ die, for five minutes, according to-" His voice choked up and he shook his head. "Never mind."

"According to who?" I asked, using as gentle a voice as I could muster. He glanced at me with surprise before carefully rearranging his features into a look of disinterest.

"Again, why do you want to know?"

I raised my palms in a form of truce. "Hey, I think our mutual hatred is dumb. I'm trying to be the bigger person here."

"When did I ever say that I hated you, Chase? I don't recall," he drawled in response. I glared at him.

"You do everything but! You treat me like I'm just a game and you don't respect me, and all you do is hurt me-"

He interrupted me yet again, getting right in my face so our noses are almost touching. "Name one time," he began, his voice deadly quiet, "that I have hurt you without reason."

I gaped at him with incredulity. "The first time we met you beat me up!"

"I said _without reason_. You were in my territory. Maybe it was a douche move-"

"You think?" I snorted.

"-But there was a reason for it. Come on, what else can you think of?"

I wracked my brain. "The time you sent me to get that package-"

"I didn't know you'd nearly be killed. And I called the ambulance."

"Well, you..." I decided that this was pointless. "Just because you had 'reasons'," I said, using air quotes to emphasize my point. "Does not mean that you can treat people the way you've treated me! It's inexcusable! Irrevocable! In-"

"Stop trying to think of synonyms for words I don't know anyway."

"How?" I asked simply. I elaborated at his raised eyebrows. "How did we end up so weird? We're not even bantering properly, or talking like we normally do. Instead we're...weird."

"Weird?" He questioned, and I could tell he was trying to repress a grin.

"Yeah. We're just kind of...subdued." That was the word I'd been searching for. Subdued. We didn't have our normal energy with which we'd usually argue. Rather, we'd now fallen into an odd mutual silence, and our lack of interactions was almost bordering on lazy.

"We've kinda been through a lot together, Chase, whether you wanna admit it or not. We've come pretty far."

And at that moment is when the ridiculousness of everything catches up with me, and I giggle. I actually giggle. "Haven't we, though?" Percy stared at me like I'd lost my mind. I probably had. "Gods. Remember when we were both at that bank? I can't believe that really happened!"

He gave me a wry smirk. "You mean the whole you kissing me or the you hitting me in the head with half a million bucks?"

"Both." Once my laughter had subsided, I turned my eyes to the view below us, the city of Manhattan twinkling with hustle and bustle. "I still can't believe you're Peter."

"And I can't believe your-actually, no, I can believe that your Carter. I mean, you're both insufferably stuck up." He grinned at me, which lessened the blow, and we both just sat there, grinning at each other. The sheer oddness of the situation soon caught up to us, however, and we both frowned at the same time. I would've laughed if I wasn't so confused. Had we really just had a civil conversation? No, scratch that; had we really just had a conversation which ended in us laughing? I leaned away from him and turned my back.

That interaction was almost...friendly. But we definitely weren't friends. I thought I heard him swear under his breath, but I couldn't be sure. I didn't care, either. I was far too worried about the prospect of Percy Jackson and I acting like we were friends. We _couldn't_ be friends, it just wasn't how things worked. But why was I worried? Because I thought he'd betray me if we were to become friends? That he'd hurt me? That I might-

"Yo, your ex just left. Let's go." Percy's voice was devoid of emotion. I was almost glad that it was time, because it stopped me from thinking that last, fatal thought. I pushed it out of my mind.

 _You, Annabeth Chase, overthink too much,_ I thought.

Don't I know it.

"Brilliant, let's go," I said briskly, wanting to escape the now-tense atmosphere. I gripped my can of spray paint tightly and walked as fast as I could without running towards the hideout. I winced in disgust as I stepped over a long-ago spilled drink. Now that I was out of the gang, I could see just how horrible the abandoned building really was. It was near falling down, and I felt worry seep in. The building could literally collapse at any moment. I didn't know how it withstood all the parties and meetings, but those only made it all the more rickety.

"How has this not fallen over yet?" Percy asked, voicing my thoughts. I winced at how loud his voice was.

"Shh!"

"What? It's not like anyone's still here," he said.

"No, no," I explained. "I think if you're too loud, it's gonna collapse."

He nodded. "Ah. That...makes sense. So, where d'you wanna spray paint?"

I'd considered my plan of attack earlier and had it down to a tee. "I'm using the same thing I did for your- _our_ gang. Except I'll just replace the Titan symbol with the Half-Blood one."

"I find it ironic that your little artworks show unity between the gangs, yet that's the furthest thing from reality," Percy mused as I got to work. That had been one of the main reasons I'd done what I had with my symbol.

"Well, they should unite, because my drawing looks damn cool."

I could feel his smirk even though he was standing five feet behind me. "Yeah, if only we could come together for the sake of _graffiti_ ," he sighed dramatically. I raised my middle finger. "Oh wow, Chase, I'm offended." The easy banter was worlds away from our normal snappy comments and I found it so weird that this boy I was currently with had beaten me up all those weeks ago. It didn't seem like it should be possible, yet here we were.

"This is so surreal," I said aloud, sending a furtive glance at Percy from the corner of my eye.

"How so?"

"I mean, we're actually _getting along_ ," I said, shaking my head slightly and smiling despite myself. "Who woulda thunk it."

"I told you I'm not all that bad!" He protested. I turned my head and stared him down. He squirmed slightly under my scrutiny. "Okay, maybe I _can_ be, but I'm generally a nice dude."

"I believe you have been trying to tell me that, yeah," I reflected, thinking back. "Although you give mixed signals."

"What are you implying there, Chase? Help me out here." I spun around and was about to retort when I nearly had a freaking heart attack from him being less than a foot away from my face. Years of toning my reflexes for possible attackers are what decides my reaction.

" _Hey!_ What the fuck was that for?" Percy's hand shot up to his face, trying to get a grip on the fact that the majority of his hair was now purple. I barked a laugh, and covered my mouth with the hand that wasn't holding the offending spray can. "You just spray painted my hair! And some of my face!"

"Look on the bright side, your hair and eyebrows match," I deadpanned. His eyes widened as he realized that his precious eyebrows had also been painted.

"You," he said, jabbing a finger at me. "Are pure evil."

"I try," I replied, not bothering to stifle my giggles anymore. "Gods, imagine Tantalus' reaction!"

His expression soured. "That's it, you're going back alone. I don't care what he says, he's not seeing _this_ ," he gestured to his purple head in place of explanation. "You are officially crazy."

"Thanks," I said simply, turning back to my artwork. Which was my fatal mistake.

"Hey, let me help. Pass me the green, will you?" I gave him the green can and pointed out the part he could fill in.

"Thanks. It took me _forever_ to do the last one on my own, so hopefully it'll be-" I suddenly froze and balled my fists. Oh no. He was SO dead.

"PERCY JACKSON!"

 **Percy's POV**

"PERCY JACKSON!" Annabeth shrieked, whirling around to find me doubled over and laughing my ass off. Her normally blonde hair was now a lovely shade of neon green. I had to admire my handiwork, I'd got mostly all of it.

"Come on, it was only fair," I said, backing away with my palms in the air.

"You are _so_ going down."

I raised one of my now purple eyebrows. "Oh yeah? And how are you planning to do that, Wise Girl?"

She scrunched her nose at me. "Don't use that nickname, it reminds me of the short lapse in time where my brain shut down and I nicknamed you Seaweed Brain."

I shrugged at her. "If you want my opinion, I think it's great."

"Only because you think it makes me look dumb," she retorted. I nodded and gave her my patented grin.

"Well of course, sweetheart."

She frowned. "Don't-"

I waved a hand. "Whatever, darling." I smirked while she scowled. Part of interacting with her reminded me of Beth, which brought back the onslaught of memories from that week. Funny how it seemed so long ago, when in reality it had only really been about a day and a half. I didn't know what had brought it out, but Annabeth and I had suddenly clicked, and now we were talking like we were best friends or something, now we were both actually trying. It was refreshing, actually, because most of my so-called 'friends' nowadays only insulted me or wanted the power I had as second in command of the Half Bloods.

"Hey, Percy? You suddenly went quiet. Are you okay?" That question. 'Are you okay?' No one had asked me that and genuinely meant it in a long time.

"Yeah," I answered absentmindedly. "I'm fine."

"Now, normally when a girl says she's fine, it means she's not, and there's no reason that that can't apply to guys too," Annabeth said, only half joking. "So really, are you alright?"

I mulled it over for a minute. "Physically? Yeah, I'm great. Emotionally, not so much."

"I get it. Don't give me that look," she added. "I can empathize. Maybe even sympathize with some of your problems." She must have sensed that I didn't want to talk about it because she dropped it. Then she tried another topic, and quite frankly, I wasn't expecting her to bring it up. "Are you just acting?"

"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously, looking at her suddenly serious face.

"Are you just trying to make me like you for some twisted reason, or do you actually want to be...friends?"

I tried the concept. It was so bizarre, but it didn't disagree. "I mean, that'd make one," I cracked. She only raised her eyebrows. "Look, Annabeth, this is the real me. The actual me, because I'm not trying to keep up a facade. If you wanna be friends, that's cool. I'm sick of acting like a douchebag all the time, so maybe if I can just be...normal with you, it'd help." That was true. It was exactly like camp. Although even at camp, I was trying so hard not to let any offensive, arrogant or identity-revealing comments slip. With Annabeth, maybe I could finally just be entirely myself.

"So, we're agreed?"

"You've got yourself a new friend, sweetheart," I said, winking as I shook her outstretched hand.

"Okay, we are so going to have to work on that."

"Sure thing, honey."

I was friends with Annabeth Chase. Annabeth Chase was my friend. And all it took was a can of spray paint.

 **So, there you go! Chapter 18, and now they're friends! Yay! Of course, I** ** _am_** **going to screw it over later on down the track, but for now everything's okay.**

 **I'm not doing reviewer replies because I'm pretty sure I already replied to them and there hasn't been many reviews lately, so sorry if I miss you.**

 **Until next time,**

 **HV**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N**

 **Hey! It's another update! Woo! I was seriously pissed because I wrote this entire chapter, then it disappeared. So then I rewrote it, and that ALSO disappeared. So I decided to just change the plot of it and go with this. Hope you like it.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Annabeth's POV**

I walked into Biology the next day grinning. I was in a rather good mood today. I shared my first class with Jason and Piper, but since it said on the board that we would be working in partners for today's session I decided to do something which I may or may not regret later.

I sat next to Percy.

Yes, I know. Total mind blower.

He lifted his eyebrows, which were still mostly purple. I smothered a snicker.

"First you sit next to me, then you laugh at me?"

I pointed to my own eyebrows. "Nice look. Very fashionable."

"Oh, shut up. I should've done _your_ face too. Maybe given you some lipstick or something," he said, grinning wickedly.

I grinned back, and was acutely aware of Jason and Piper staring at me as if I'd grown a third head. I'd have to explain that later. Now I knew Jason's real identity, me being in the Half Bloods now might make things...awkward, to say the least.

Percy followed my gaze. "Damn, you're gonna be in trouble later." I scowled at him, then looked down at the table, scuffing my shoes on the linoleum floor.

"More like you. Jason'll probably want to kill you."

"And he hasn't always?"

"You raise a good point."

"Of course I do. My brain isn't actually made from seaweed, you know," he said wisely. I snorted, then burst out laughing. I've noticed the amount of stares we've gathered from our classmates. Annabeth Carter and Peter Johnson actually getting along? Sitting together willingly? The world must be ending!

"Don't refer to that!" I scolded, but he just smirks at me in response. "Idiot. I'm sitting next to an idiot."

"It was completely your choice."

"I'm already regretting it," I muttered, but a smile had broken across my face in spite of myself. My... _whatever_ this was with Percy hadn't lasted very long, but it already felt like we'd known each other for ages. It was refreshing, talking to him, because he knew me and I knew him, and we didn't have to pretend around each other. And I appreciated it.

It also scared the living shit out of me.

By the time lunch came around, I knew it was time to find the others. They were sitting at our usual table in the cafeteria. I waved, but they merely smiled back. And even then, it seemed forced.

"Hey, guys," I said as I sat down. "So, I should probably explain-"

"Why you're now seemingly best buds with your worst enemy?" Jason interrupted, staring at me with a gaze so intense I almost looked away.

I sighed. "There's more to it, and you're not gonna like it."

"It gets worse?" Leo asked. "Because right now, that seems pretty hard to achieve-"

"I'm in the Half Bloods." I wanted to get it out, and now I was met with blank stares. Piper looked terrified on my behalf (I hoped), Leo was confused and Jason's scowl only deepened.

"What the hell, Annabeth?" He said finally. "Why did you join _them?_ "

"It wasn't like I wanted to!" I shot back. "That's why I'm on better terms with Per-" I caught myself, just. Had I told them Percy's first name? My brain couldn't comprehend it at that moment, so I decided to go for secrecy. "With Peter! Because we had to do a mission together and-"

"You seem to be on more than 'better terms'," he retorted. "I can't believe this."

The other two wisely stayed silent, so they could talk to me later without a livid Jason around. But I had no trouble defending Percy. I didn't know why, because Jason had been a loyal friend of mine for a long time, but something in me knew that no one was ever on Percy's side, so why shouldn't I be?

"He's not actually that bad! You don't _know_ him like I do! He's just-" Jason cut me off once again.

"That's the thing, Annie, you _don't_ know him! You've hated him for months until now, and with one conversation you're suddenly all over him! He's lying to you, Annabeth, and you're going to get hurt." Our voices were getting progressively louder, and we were both standing now. The majority of the students were also staring at us.

"He has no other friends, Jason. And he's not lying, I know he's not," I said quietly. Jason's eyebrows rose even higher.

"Good, he doesn't _deserve_ to have friends! Do you remember what he did to you?"

"Yes, Jason, I do," I said icily. "But unlike you, I'm willing to give him a _chance_. And you, you can't talk! I've only just found out your dirty little secret-" His face blanched when I said that. "-and it wasn't even from you that I found out. So I'll talk to you later. Goodbye." With that, I turned on my heel and strutted over to where Percy was sitting. The entire present student body watched me go.

"Arguing over me?" He whispered. "No offense to Jason, but I'm rejecting him if he tries anything."

I choked out a laugh. "I'm sorry, it's just..." I felt my eyes water. I wasn't going to let the tears fall, but I let myself feel the pain. The pain of fighting with one of my best friends.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're gonna be fine," Percy said. "Don't worry about him, if he's really your friend then he'll get over it."

"Thanks, Percy," I said quietly.

"Whatever," he shrugged, and we didn't say anything else. We just sat there in silence, thinking. And after lunch, I walked into my next class feeling a whole lot better than I had an hour ago. And also a whole lot more confused.

...

I laughed as I attempted to brush the green out of my hair. "Damn, Jackson, I'm gonna look like some demented mermaid for days now."

"I mean, considering you don't have a tail..." Percy trailed off, raising one still purple eyebrow. He'd managed to scrub most of the purple off of his face, but his hair hadn't had the same luck. "You got off lucky. The front of my hair _and_ eyebrows are still indigo, if you hadn't noticed!" I peered at the hair hanging over his forehead and grinned.

"Hey, your hair hides one of your eyebrows."

"That's comforting," he muttered. I grinned to myself. I didn't know what it was, but for some reason Percy and I had really clicked once we'd gotten over the whole you-hate-me-without-good-reason stage, like we'd been friends for a lot longer. Of course, it was bound to blow up at some point. I was just making the most of it while it lasted.

"Try explaining it to Tantalus."

He groaned loudly. "Oh god, don't even go there."

"You have approximately ten seconds. Why the hell do you guys meet up so often?" I asked, staring at the few people who were gathered around. Percy merely shrugged in response.

"Ah, long time no see, you two!" I rolled my eyes at Percy, and he just shook his head in annoyance.

"Tantalus, it's been less than a day," I informed him dryly.

"Yes well, that's a long time you know! And...why aren't you two trying to kill each other?" He asked suspiciously, glancing between us furtively. I placed my hands on my hips.

"Shouldn't you be happy?" Tantalus hadn't noticed the hair yet. I was tapping my foot impatiently, occasionally looking at Percy's hair to try and get the message across.

Tantalus frowned. "Shouldn't I-oh my god, Jackson, Chase, your _hair_!" He burst out laughing, bent over at the knees, while Percy and I gazed sourly at him. The five others teenagers that were present were also openly sniggering.

"Hey, Tantalus?" One of them asked. "Why did you let Chase join, seeing as we're kinda at war with her?" That was a very good point. Was there an ulterior motive for me joining? So they could just kill me easier later on? Percy must've caught my worried look, because he stepped forward.

"Look, maybe we _were_ at war. But she's on our side now."

"Oh, like you weren't arguing with her nonstop yesterday?" The same guy asked. "What, she kiss you and now you're whipped? That it?"

Percy narrowed his eyes and flipped the dude the bird. "I thought that was what you did, White. Or are you too hung up on Be-"

"Point proven!" The guy yelped, eager to cut Percy off. "Whatever. Welcome to hell, Chase."

"Thank you," I drawled, rolling my eyes. "It's been lovely so far, really."

Tantalus clapped and, when no one looked his way, he screamed, "BE QUIET YOU LITTLE FREAKS!" I turned to look at him, my lips quirking in amusement. "Jackson, I have a mission for you."

"What? I literally _just_ did one last night!" Percy exclaimed irritably, throwing his hands around wildly. I would've laughed if the situation was more appropriate.

"That was Chase's mission. You were just tagging along." If looks could kill, I think Tantalus would be incinerated to tiny ashes right now. Percy's glare was murderous. "Besides, this doesn't involve the Titans. The rest of you, leave. Bye!" I stayed where I was as everyone else filed out of the alley. "Well, Chase? Shoo!" I looked to Percy, who just shrugged and nodded.

"Well, bye." I heard the two talking quietly behind me and an uneasy feeling lodged itself in my stomach. Something was going on, something bigger than just the Half Bloods, I could tell. But then, I had no clue what.

 **Percy's POV**

"So...there's another mission?" I trailed off, raising one eyebrow like I'd practiced thousands of times in my mirror before. I'd figured, when I was nine, that it might impress Gabe. Or annoy him, because he couldn't do it himself. Oh, Tantalus was talking? Oops. I tuned in to what he was saying.

"-so, SPQR sent Chase to vandalize our property. Oh, don't look at me like that, Jackson, I'm not an idiot." I looked at him doubtfully. Dionysus probably figured it out and told him.

"So? What does that have to do with me?"

"We're officially declaring war."

I sucked in a breath, closing my eyes for a brief moment before chewing out Tantalus. " _What?_ Why? Do you know what happened the last time the Half Bloods were at war? Half the gang _died_ , Tantalus! Who's dumb idea was it? I'll-"

"Jackson, my boy," he began, unfazed, making me want to kill him even more. "Some things have to happen, and this is one of those-"

"Remind me never to let you do this again," an annoyed voice interrupted. I stared at Dionysus as he walked up to us. "Jackson, you're my second command. It's your job to go about setting things up. We received an omen telling us-"

This time, I was the one to cut him off. "Wait, an _omen_? You're telling me you're basing all this...on a _superstition_?"

He waved a hand irritably. "Yes, yes. I've told you before why no one recognizes anyone when they're wearing a wig because they're a Half-Blood? Or any other gang, for that matter?"

"You mean when you told me that it was _magic_ ," I deadpanned. Tantalus shook his head at me disapprovingly.

"No, idiot, the wars are _sacrifices_!"

There were a lot of reasons why Tantalus was an idiot, and this was one of them.

"Tantalus..."

"Believe what you want, Jackson. But things have been heating up recently, all because there haven't been any sacrifices. So-"

"Can you _please_ stop using that word?" I was near shouting. "Don't remind me I'm enlisted to a nutcase joint."

"-so we're starting another war. Cool?"

"I'm surrounded by idiots," I muttered. "They're even dumber than me, and that's saying a lot."

Dionysus pretended not to hear me and met my eyes. "So, you'll do the mission, I take it?"

"You won't give me a choice, I take it?"

Which is why, seven hours later, I found myself crouched by the SPQR base, armed with only my pen/knife and a box of matches. I really didn't want to be there. And it was one in the morning!

"Why the fuck am I here?" I muttered to myself. "I don't even care at this point if I- _shit!_ " I swore loudly as I stubbed my toe on a trash bag or whatever. Why did SPQR leave massive bags lying around their base? Whose brilliant idea was _that?_ I kicked it for good riddance and kept walking forwards. I could barely see anything, only what was directly in front of me.

"Most teenage dudes are sleeping right now. Or texting their girlfriends or whatever. But me? Oh no, I'm about to commit arson! Just what I always wanted on my record." I thought the sleep deprivation of the last few nights was getting to me. I pulled out the matches and scanned the area for something flammable. Since it was dark it didn't go very well, but eventually I ran into a crate.

Yep, a _wooden_ crate.

Sometimes my luck astounds me.

I struck the match a bit too forcefully and it snapped. I let the two halves fall and tried again. Still no luck.

"Why can't I light a stupid match, for-?"

"Hey, Jackson." Shit! I quickly slid the box into my pocket and spun around. Ramirez-Arellano. Lovely.

"Why hello there, Rara," I replied, smirking. I knew she hated the nickname. She scowled at me and within two seconds had a knife pointed at my throat. I stared at the blade calmly and tried to think of a way out of this. How the hell _did_ you get out of this situation? There was literally no one I could call on. I was as good as dead.

"What are you doing here? And don't even try to skip around it, answer me."

"I'm here to wreak havoc and just generally cause mayhem. Duh, Arellano," I said, widening my grin. She apparently didn't find it funny, because she kicked me right in the middle of my calf. Ouch. That was sure to bruise.

"Jackson...I don't know why you put yourself in these situations, but this needs to stop." With lightning speed, she slashed her knife downwards. With double her speed, I whipped out my knife and caught her blade with the handle of mine.

"My my, you've gotten slow," I mocked, raising my eyebrows at her. She was about to retort when a loud crack sounded behind me. Arellano stepped back in shock, so I took that as my chance to glance over my shoulder. I gaped at the crate which was now alight. Score one for me!

Her eyes narrowed at me and she shoved me towards the flames. "I can't believe this. I hope you burn," she hissed before turning on her heel and sprinting away. However, she froze halfway and simply stood there. I wasn't sure whether she'd kill me if I asked her what was up, but my curiosity got the better of me and I quietly headed over to her.

"What's up? You finally realize your un-" I stopped dead in my tracks. "Holy shit. Who-?" Arellano spun to face me, an outraged look on her face.

"How could you? First you burn down my territory, and now you _murder_ one of our members?"

"Arellano, it...it wasn't me. I didn't even..." My mind still couldn't comprehend the mutilated body in front of me. Remember that trash bag I'd absentmindedly kicked aside before? Turns out it wasn't a trash bag.

I was pretty sure that the dude's name was Dakota. But why had he been killed? There was no reason at all, nothing to benefit from, not-

Wait.

Dionysus and Tantalus knew I'd be here tonight. After my last mission, maybe they'd thought that I'd fail this one, and wanted to give SPQR another reason to start this war. Maybe they'd killed Dakota...to _frame me._

I stood, unmoving, while the realization sunk in. "It wasn't me, I was framed, Arellano, I promise you-"

She let out a humorless laugh. "Oh, you promise, do you? That's rich. He's still dead, Jackson. And you've still lit my base on fire. You want a war, you've got one. But trust me when I say you won't live to see the outcome." She stalked away from me, towards the street, leaving me to gather my wits. But, strangely, I didn't _want_ to move. Had no desire to.

That was, until the chunk of flaming wall collapsed right behind me.

I snapped into action, beginning to sprint after Arellano. I knew even then that I wouldn't make it. I was too far away.

I was proved right when a piece of debris clocked me on the head and knocked me to the ground. As I lay there, I watched the next piece of wood hurtling towards me. The searing pain only registered for a second before my world went black.

 **So. Chapter 19. I can;t believe it's already so long. I probably need to go back and fix up some of the chapters, because I just reread the first chapter and sheesh, I'm kinda surprised you all are still here now. Also, Percy and Annabeth's interactions in this chapter are a bit too friendly since they've only just become on good terms, so I'll try and fix it next chapter. But anyway, on to the reviewer replies: (which, by the way, I've updated right now just so I ould reply to them. Weird, maybe, but whatever. I like answering questions, okay? Ask me questions, I love them)**

 **Guest - By schedule, if you mean in terms of when I update then there is one...of sorts. Well, it kinda just shows which stories I have prioritized, so it's not actually very helpful, but I'm genuinely trying to update this story more often.**

 **Stygian stapler and JPBBX ftw - I don't know what you mean by 2, but thanks for reviewing nonetheless!**

 **LunaLovegood220022 - I never realized the initials thing. Huh. And I do try to write Percy so his ego shows through, mainly just with little comments (this chapter I didn't do as much of it, though), so I'm glad you think that! And I kinda agree, too, that he is a bit like James. In my story, anyway. Thanks for the review!**

 **Guest - Okay, so I read another gang-related story and thought, huh, I kinda wanna write something like that. But I wanted to make it unique, so I thought hey, why not make them have disguises? And since I thought the double life thing was a tad cliche, I brought in the third life thing to make it more interesting. Now, at first I didn't think that 'Pierre' and 'Beth' would be a big part in this story. But then I thought what the hell, the story is called Double Life? Make It _Triple,_ so it would be dumb if I didn't include them again. I'm also super glad that you don't care about the unrealistic-ness of it. I'm also sorry about how little I update, but I'm glad you're liking the story!**

 **neyongreen - Okay. I am the type of person who doesn't like finishing things, so I will _want_ to draw this out. I'm guessing at least thirty chapters. But I am going to force myself to keep it relatively in check and not make it ridiculously long-winded. As long as I have a plot twist up my sleeve, though, I'll keep writing. And trust me when I say I've got _plenty_ of those**

 **1quintisfan - You're my 50th reviewer! I'm glad you liked it, and that there's been such a positive reaction to Percabeth finally becoming friends. Or so we think...hehe**

 **Psyche Castle - I hope the ! is a positive. I'm glad you're still reading and reviewing my story!**

 **So, I'm gonna have my _oh my gods I love you guys so much ahh_ rant. I've reached over fifty reviews! You guys are awesome, and you have no idea how happy it makes me that so many people are enjoying this story, despite how it's not realistic and some of my grammar in the first few chapters is atrocious. This isn't actually as long as I thought it would be, but I'm so grateful and seeing new reviews make my day, which is getting harder to do by the minute. All of the reviews (I'm pretty sure) have been positive towards this story. Even if it's to say 'this story is totally unrealistic', there's always a 'but I love it' on the end. So again, thank you so much and I love all of you! **

**HV**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N**

 **Heyo! I was originally planning on posting this next week, because that's what normal writers do to have more time for people to review or whatever, but I don't do normal, so here ya go! And this chapter...well, it's interesting. Normally I just write one chapter in one sitting, but this one took about three, and I still don't think I've got it exactly right. But opportunities arose and I took them, so...**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Percy's POV**

Pain. You'd think that a person would get used to it, but no. In fact, I think it got worse every time.

Hospitals. I hated hospitals. Sure, a lot of people were miraculously saved at hospitals. But a lot of people also died, became paralyzed or were in permanent comas.

So when I woke up in a hospital, in a shit load of pain, you can imagine my reaction.

"Wha-ow!" I exclaimed, wincing as my throat burned. Maybe trying to talk wasn't such a good idea after all, then.

"Mr Jackson, I take it you're awake?" Well no shit Sherlock, I just talked and violently flinched! I opened my eyes and nearly had a heart attack when a doctors face appeared inches from my own. My heart monitor even started beeping a whole lot faster. I took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "Can you try and talk for me, Mr Jackson?" I literally just did that and it felt like someone was ripping my esophagus out. Ew, sorry for the mental image.

"What...do you think?" I whispered hoarsely, coughing. Which made my throat feel a thousand times worse.

"Right, sorry," the doctor smiled sympathetically and picked up a clipboard. "Just nod or shake your head. Do you remember your name? Your age? Are you in a lot of pain? Do you remember the past week's events? What about the past days? Do you know how long you've been out for?" If you're curious, the first three were nods, but I had no idea about the other questions. Holy shit, I couldn't remember the past week! All I remembered was coming home from camp and then...nothing. Goddammit! At my annoyed look, the doctor continued. "You've been unconscious for a week. Understandable, since you were both burned and buried alive."

I'd been out for a _week?_ And I couldn't remember the week before that, or a few days before that, which basically meant that I had a two week gap in my mind. Also, what the fuck had I _done_ to get myself buried and burnt? I looked down at myself and I felt my eyes widen in shock when I saw my arms. Aside from the various cuts and bruises, there were third degree burns dotted all over. How the hell did I not die doing whatever I was doing?

"You've got some visitors, do you want me to send them in?" I nodded warily and laid my head back onto my pillow, closing my eyes. I was too tired, in all honesty, and if I couldn't talk I didn't see the point, but I did wanna see my mom.

Wait.

The doctor said _visitors._ As in plural. Who else would be here? Judging by the sun outside, it was only mid morning, so Paul would be at school. Who else would want to see me?

"-And he can't talk right now, but you can still see him."

"Alright. Thank you for everything you've done to help him." That was definitely my mom. The two visitors would probably come in separately. When she saw me, her eyes lit up and she rushed forward to hug me. Gently, so she didn't injure me any more. I don't know how I deserved her as a mom.

"Hi...mom," I rasped, trying to smile without grimacing.

She hushed me and took a seat beside my bed. "Don't try and talk, Perseus Jackson. You'll only hurt yourself more." I shrugged in reply. Mom smiled. "I'm so glad you're okay! You don't know how worried I was." It was really nice talking to my mom again...well, she was the one doing the talking, but it was nice to see her. She filled me in on how I got to the hospital (apparently someone found me and called an ambulance. Now I was just curious about who it was) and told me about how her writing classes had been going. Before I knew it, an hour had passed and she had to leave.

"I'll come back tomorrow, okay? Bye Percy."

"Bye...mom." I was waiting with anticipation for the second visitor. The doctor had specifically said _visitors._ I knew because I'd had an internal freak out over it earlier, and now I was practically bouncing on the bed as I waited.

"-You know the conversation will be one-sided, miss," my doctor was saying. So it was a girl. Interesting.

"I don't care. You said he's got slight amnesia, right? I can fill him in on everything." The voice sounded oddly familiar.

"Well, in you go. Call if you need anything."

"Thanks." I heard the door open and I instantly stilled myself. No need to look like an idiot, because if they were coming to visit me they were obviously-

I'm pretty sure my jaw hit the floor when my eyes landed on the girl standing in front of me.

" _Chase?_ "

 **Annabeth's POV**

I knew that he had minor amnesia. I thought I had prepared myself for that. But did he really not remember that we'd been on good terms recently?

"Hi, Percy."

"Hell are...you doin' here?"

I rolled my eyes. "Wow, what a nice welcome. You're welcome for coming in, by the way. Also, I thought you couldn't talk."

"Well, it hu...fuck..." He rubbed at his throat and cringed.

"So shut up and I'll do the talking," I ordered, sitting down in the chair beside his bed. "So, you don't remember anything?" He shook his head. "Great. That's brilliant. I'm gonna have to explain all the shit."

I took a deep breath. "So, I'm a Half Blood now. Woo, go me." I observed him closely, judging his reaction. His eyes widened a fraction, but he didn't say anything. "Yeah. All because you made me get that package for you ages ago. I've still got scars, by the way. Anyway, we had to do a mission which may or may not have involved vandalizing the Titans building, which was great fun, let me tell you. We kinda became...friends, I guess. You had to do a mission the next night, and I wasn't there, but I've heard rumors. Trust me, there have been plenty of those, and not one of them was pleasant.

"You set fire to the SPQR base and couldn't get out of there in time, hence your injuries. Long story short, you started a war, Percy Jackson." I shifted uncomfortably as I thought about the _other_ rumor that I'd heard.

Percy muttered something, but I couldn't make it out. "Sorry?"

"You're...voidin' some...thin'." I could still barely make out the words, but I knew what he was trying to say.

"Um, the other story going around is that you...well, that you killed someone." I let my words sink in. His eyebrows furrowed and puzzlement contorted his features.

"Wha...?"

"Yeah. Dakota, as in the SPQR guy. Arellano said she witnessed it..." I finished, trailing off.

"Said we're...friends?"

"Wow, that's all you get out of that? Not even the 'you killed someone'?" I was slightly shocked at how calmly he was taking the news. I was also kind of disgusted. Shouldn't he be freaking out a lot more?

Percy reached up and rubbed his face. I could tell that his toasted vocal chords were frustrating him. "Unbelievable." He broke out into a coughing fit and I watched him warily. "Fuckin'...unbelievable."

I pondered for a while, figuring out what to say next. "But yeah, we're kinda friends because you spray painted my hair green." His eyebrows rose in a 'wtf' expression before he closed his eyes.

"What...ever."

"Hey, be grateful. You don't have many friends." He simply raised his middle finger in retort. Wow, someone was in a good mood. Note the sarcasm. I noticed the burns on his arms for the first time and leaned closer to inspect the damage. Parts of his skin were dried and red, and others were blistered and scabbed. "Jeez, you really did a number on yourself. Your face is still practically fine though, except for a few cuts."

"Duh...can't have a stupid burn...messin' with my hotness." I rolled my eyes but was internally happy that he was still himself. Although maybe it would've been nice if he'd lost some of his ego. And some of his attitude.

"You're on fire," I said agreeably. He scowled at my pun. "See, the thing about being injured in a hospital is that it's hard to ignore your visitors when they make bad puns."

"Shut up."

"So, yeah. You missed a lot."

He reached up and ran a hand through his hair. "Why'd you...stop hatin' me?"

"I..." Why _did_ I? Had I forgiven him for everything he'd done? No...I wasn't quite sure I had. Maybe I just felt like I could relate to him. "I haven't. I just see no point in insulting you anymore."

"Like that wasn't?"

"What do you mean?"I asked, taken aback. Sure he'd seemed unresponsive before, but he'd just...snapped all of a sudden.

"Why're you here...if you haven't forgiven me?"

I shrugged. "I don't know, I thought that since you have no one else-"

"I do, though. I literally just had someone else in here!"

"Well I'm sorry for trying to be nice for once."

"Yeah well, maybe you shouldn't!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I choked out. "You're picking a fight with me over nothing!"

"Don't...believe you. We aren't...we could never be friends," he said firmly, the shakiness in his voice almost completely gone. I could tell that his throat was going to be killing him later.

"Then why would I be here? Why do you have to push everyone away when they try and be nice, Percy?" I asked, my voice raising. "Because I don't know."

"You don't get it," he said in exasperation, flailing one of his hands. I glared at him and headed towards the door.

"Whatever, Jackson. I'll quit being nice if that's what you want." I gripped the handle and yanked it open.

"I don't...don't even know what I want any more," he whispered, almost so quietly that I didn't hear it.

"Well, you let me know when you figure it out."

The last thing I heard him say before I slammed the door, and I'm even sure if I imagined it or not, made me think that maybe it wasn't the 'we're friends' part he didn't believe.

"I didn't...couldn't murder him. No."

I stormed down the streets of Manhattan, not caring if I got in anyone's way. Why did he have to be so...frustrating? I thought I was doing something good when I walked into the hospital earlier, thinking that he might appreciate having someone there. But no, apparently not. Maybe he was just shocked at seeing me there, or maybe his head was still healing after the injury. Or, maybe-

My ringtone suddenly started blasting and I jumped before sighing and answering the call. "Hello?"

"Is this Annabeth Chase? Daughter of Athena Chase?" A monotone voice asked. I removed the phone from my ear and stared at the caller ID in confusion.

"Um, yeah. Why?"

"Your mother has just been admitted to the hospital. She's been in a car accident and we're unsure of her stability at the present moment."

"So you're telling me that she might die?" I demanded, practically shouting into the phone. The person on the other end of the call paused a moment before replying.

"We're unsure of her stability at the present moment, but-"

"Which means you don't know. Don't try and lie," I added when they tried to speak again. "I was just there. I'll be back in five minutes." I turned on my heel and switched directions, much to the annoyance of many people trying to go the other way. I didn't care. My mind had gone completely, utterly, mind-numbingly blank. I was pushing past everyone, walking faster with every second that passed, trying not to comprehend what had happened. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe they were wrong.

It all came back to the maybes. I was thinking about the maybes before I got the call, trying to convince myself of something happier, a better circumstance. I was doing the exact same thing now.

Before I knew it, I was rushing in through the doors and running to the reception desk. "I need to see Athena Chase!" I all but screamed it, and the poor young dude manning the desk looked scared shitless at my outburst.

"I'm sorry miss, but she's not taking visitors right now-" His voice was the same as the one on the phone earlier. That made sense, but it also angered me.

"Listen buddy, if you're going to call me then you should wait until I can actually see her. How long until I can go in?" I questioned, my eyes narrowing.

"I'm afraid it'll be at least three hours. You may as well go home and we can contact you later-"

I interrupted him again. "Why _didn't_ you contact me later, then? I'm staying here." I proceeded to stride over to one of the couches and flop down onto it, keeping my eyes on the receptionist. He sighed and looked away, scribbling something on a notepad. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the couch. The reality hadn't hit me yet, but I knew it would soon. It had to. It always took ages for things to sink in for me, which was both a blessing and a curse. I thought about everything that had happened over the past few weeks and my eyes glazed over. I thought that at the camp, maybe things would get better. And they did. That week was amazing, and I had felt like I truly fit in somewhere. I missed Travis and Connor's stupid jokes, and Katie's eye rolling and Will's dry humor. I even missed stable duty.

And, of course, I missed Pierre.

I had known back then that we'd probably never see each other post camp. The fact was always there, but we chose to ignore it. And now I wished that we could've...I don't know, done something to keep in contact. I also wished that I could show him the real me. But it was probably too late now.

I thought about how, for just one brief day, Percy and I had gotten along. And he wasn't as big of a jerk as I'd first labelled him. Or maybe that was an act. Because he certainly didn't seem happy to see me earlier.

It was the same situation over and over; someone getting mad at me and me feeling bad about, even though I had just as much reason to be angry. Percy, Jason, even Luke! I didn't hate him as much as I knew I should. I sniffed and instantly reprimanded myself. My life wasn't even that bad! Sure, a lot of people probably wanted me dead and I didn't have a father figure, but that wasn't even very horrific. I was just overreacting. It was dumb. I should be stronger. I should-

"Are you okay miss?" I opened my eyes to see an incredibly tall kid standing in front of me. I say 'kid' because he looked very young, despite his height.

"Oh um, yeah. I'm fine, I guess," I replied, forcing a smile. He sat down next to me.

"You don't look fine. Are you sad?"

He was staring at me with large brown eyes. Somehow, his presence lifted my mood a little bit. "I suppose I am."

"Turn that frown upside-down! That's what my mom always tells me!" I smiled at his antics, but it dropped at his next words. "Where's your mom?"

"She's, uh...she's in the building right now. What about your mom, kiddo?" I asked, wanting to get the conversation away from myself. Apparently that wouldn't be too hard.

"She's over there!" He said excitedly, pointing to a kind-looking woman sitting on the other side of the room. She gave me an apologetic smile when she spotted me and started to walk over.

"Sorry about Tyson," she said, smiling fondly at the boy sitting next to me. "He's been hyperactive ever since his brother was admitted."

"Don't worry about it," I said, smiling back. To my surprise, the smile was genuine. "Everyone copes in different ways. Trust me, I'd know."

The woman gestured to the space on the couch next to me. "Do you mind if I sit?" I shook my head and she sat down next to me. "You look like you might need someone to talk to."

I grinned humorlessly. "I probably need therapy or something. I'm here for my mother. She...she was in a car accident. They don't know if...if she'll make it."

"I understand. Both of my parents were killed in a plane crash when I was young. My first husband got lost at sea right before I had Tyson, and even though no one knows exactly what happened, it's pretty easy to read between the lines." I didn't know what to say, so I merely nodded in sympathy. That was the thing about hospitals; you could talk to anyone and they'd all have a sad story to share. It wasn't like in high school where you could only talk to your friends or else you'd be looked at strangely, it was an open field and most of the time, people just wanted to share their burden.

"That's...that's horrible. And now your other son is here, too?" I asked curiously.

She nodded. "He's probably around your age. Although he's been here so many times, I practically know all the staff by name. I visited him this morning and he'd just woken up. He's undergoing surgery right now."

"Normally it'd be my mom waiting out here, not me. But the tables have turned, I guess."

"It's horrible, the waiting. Especially when you know you can't do anything about it. I'm just grateful that someone found my son in time."

"What happened to him?" I blurted. Then I hurriedly added, "if you don't mind me asking. I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have-"

"It's no problem. He...well, I'm not entirely sure either, to be honest. He didn't tell me what he was doing or where he was going, and the next morning I got a call saying he'd been crushed by a falling building and that he was in a coma. It's one of the worst injuries he's had yet," she explained. She went on to say something else, but my breath had caught and I tuned her out. Her son had been in a coma. He'd been crushed by a falling building. He was my age.

"Was the building on fire?" I asked suddenly. She peered at me curiously.

"Yes, I believe it was." Oh my gods. This couldn't be...but it _had_ to be. I didn't know of any other teenage boys who had been crushed by burning buildings recently.

"What's your name, if you don't mind me prying?"

"I'm Sally. Sally Jackson."

They didn't really share many physical traits, but it had to be true. This was Percy's mother. Which made Tyson his brother.

"I know your son. Percy, right?" She seemed taken aback. She was obviously debating whether it was safe for her to confirm my question. "I'm Annabeth. Next time you talk to him, tell him that I said he was a jerk. Sorry for insulting him, but, well..." I trailed off.

Sally smiled, but I could see traces of concern hidden in her expression. "Don't worry dear, I know what you mean. He really is a good person, deep down, but I'm afraid of what's going to happen to him."

I didn't want to tell her about how her son was a murderer. It wasn't my place, and I didn't want to crush the remaining hopes she had for him.

"You know, I think he's mentioned an Annabeth. Or...no, it might've been Beth. That's right. Beth...something starting with C. Judging by what you've said about him, though, I doubt it was you he was talking about. He said that the two of them were quite close."

I bolted upright and nearly fell of off the chair. Oh gods. No, it had to be a coincidence. It _couldn't_ be. It was _impossible._

But maybe it wasn't.

And I was back at it with the maybes. God dammit.

"Um, Sally...does the name Pierre Johansson ring any bells? I need to know. This is really important, and I don't..." I coughed and swallowed hard. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be...

She paused, clearly having an internal battle over whether she should tell me or not. Then she nodded. "I think I know what's happened here, judging by your reaction. Yes, it's one of the names Percy has used."

"Please...please don't tell him. I don't think...it wouldn't go over well," I whispered. Sally nodded in understanding.

"Your secret's safe with me, Annabeth. You can tell him in your own time."

"Thank you." Eventually I fell asleep, my mind running overtime. Thinking the same confusing thoughts.

If Percy was Pierre, did that mean I liked Percy?

But Percy was such an asshole. Of course I didn't like him.

But...how could they be the same person? It just didn't make sense!

Just like everything else going on in my life.

 **Yes, I gave him amnesia. All my Fall For Me? readers are probably thinking, oh god, not _again._ And Annabeth found out about the Percy/Pierre situation. I wasn't intending for either of them to find out until later, but I started writing this and it all changed. I'm also sorry their friendship only really lasted one chapter, but this happened and I thought, hey, what a great way to draw out the story! Because I'm just an asshole like that. I _could've_ done the whole heartfelt reunion shebang, but that's not how I roll. Sorry!**

 **Reviewer Replies: (Obviously there's not many because I updated this so quickly)**

 **LunaLovegood220022 - I'm glad you think so. I was originally going to have Percy try and seduce her and then she knocked him out and ran away, but then I thought up the Dakota idea and her thinking that he killed him, so I decided to change it up. I did _not_ mean for the reference, but I think I've thrown in so many unintentional ones in this story so far that it's getting a bit ridiculous. **

**Psyche Castle - I'm so, so glad that you really like it. Thank you so much for the continued support, I really appreciate it!**

 **1quintisfan - Thank you so much, I'm glad you feel honored about being the 50th reviewer. I have _not_ taken writing classes, unless you count English at school. My writing's kinda strange because it's mostly dialogue based, which is why some parts may seem weirdly written if there isn't dialogue, because I love writing interactions between people. Funny how I can write perfectly normal conversations, but I can't actually socialize for shit in real life. Also depressing. But I like to think of it as funny, because it's more positive. **

**Again, thank you for the continued support on this story, and I hope you continue to love it!**

 **HV**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N**

 **This chapter greatly appeases my guilt for the last one, so hopefully you guys like it. It may be shorter than others, but hopefully the content kinda makes up for it. I've also been writing another PJO fanfic that I'm not sure if I'll post, but I just felt inspired to write it and so I did. Anyway, here ya go!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Percy's POV**

It was three in the morning, and I couldn't sleep.

Unlike back at home, where I could toss and turn and shift every five minutes, I was stuck laying on my back with a sore throat. And as well as being seriously uncomfortable with insomnia setting in, I couldn't stop thinking. And it wasn't even like there was some massive issue I was thinking about (well, okay, maybe there _was_ one, but I tried to avoid it as much as possible), I was just coming up with random stuff. Want an example?

 _Do dolphins sleep? Because dolphins need air occasionally, and if they sleep underwater then how do they breathe? Do they float on_ top _of the water? Do people think that they're dead when they're actually sleeping and pick them up, therefore killing them by keeping them out of the water so long?_

Or if it wasn't dolphins, it was Rihanna. Literally, I'd had Umbrella stuck in my head, playing on a loop. It kind of disturbed me how I knew all the words, even though I hadn't heard it for like two years.

Or if it wasn't Rihanna it was, well, the whole 'omigods Percy you totally killed someone'.

Yeah, I just went from dolphins to Rihanna to murder. My ADHD was acting up. Huh, ADHD sounded like AC/DC. AC/DC were from the same time as Led Zeppelin, right? My mom loved Led Zeppelin. Actually, she only liked my White Stripes album because she thought it sounded similar. Why would you name your band the White Stripes, anyway? Were they zebras? Were they furries and dressed up as zebras?Why-

Okay, jeez. Insomnia, everybody. It drives you crazy.

But back to the original subject (as much as I'd like to talk about zebras and Rihanna): me killing Dakota. I was certain I hadn't done it. The doctors said that my memory would come back over the next week or two, but my current status of not knowing was the most frustrating thing ever. Chase probably did that on purpose, coming in and telling me everything just to mess with my head. But that'd be dumb. I knew her well enough, and she wouldn't do that.

I know what you're thinking; oh my gods Percy you were so rude to her before, what is your problem?

Well, you have someone that you previously hated tell you that you killed someone after you get crushed by a freaking burning building! It's not like we were friends or anything! I mean, she said that we kinda were now, but I don't know. Why would she lie about that if it wasn't true? So it had to be. Either that or she'd wanted a fresh start. Which would be cool either way, really, because it would mean one less person who wanted me dead. And it would raise my total of friends to a grand one. Wow, that's really sad.

Anyway, I was planning on being nicer to Annabeth and actually hearing her out properly this time, and I pressed the buzzer at the side of my bed. Hospitals had their perks, what can I say? And besides, I can annoy the staff by getting them up at three a.m. It took ten minutes before a tired-looking nurse trudged into my room. Throughout those ten minutes, I'd been pressing the button every few seconds, grinning at the beeping noise it made. Hey, I was bored! But anyway, the nurse walked in and raised an eyebrow at me. It was then that I realized that hey, I still can't talk properly!

"Hi..." I began lamely. "D'you know how to contact...an Annabeth Chase?" Oh god, my throat, it burned! Why the hell did they not give me water? Honestly, if any aspiring doctors are seeing this, give your patients water. Seriously.

The nurse looked bemused. "What's the reason?"

"Need to talk," I replied simply. Also because it was one of the only things I could physically say in response to that.

She still looked skeptical (I didn't blame her), but apparently decided she didn't want me calling her up again later and sighed loudly. "Lucky for you she's already here. I'll go get here." She was already here? Why was she here? She obviously wouldn't be waiting around to see me, that was for sure.

"I was sleeping. I hope you want to apologize." I glanced up to see Annabeth standing in the doorway looking annoyed. Fair enough. I gestured to the chair beside my bed. She sighed loudly but came and sat down.

"So..." I began awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

"Percy, you were the one who called me up here. Don't tell me that you have nothing to say."

"Right," I said. "Well, I did want to apologize for, uh, being rude and stuff. But I wanted to talk to you about...the things you said." Crap, I'd forgotten about my throat. I was gonna try to stick to four word sentences from now on.

"You mean Dakota," she said. I nodded. "Well, Arellano said that she didn't actually see you killing him, but it was the only explanation since you were there at the same time."

I chewed my lip thoughtfully. It had been eating me up ever since she'd told me and I couldn't get it off my mind. "Do you think it was me?" That was six words. Damn it.

"I really don't know. But I'm sorry for going off at you, I did kinda spring that on you unexpectedly."

"You think?" I muttered.

"So, are we good?" She asked, holding out her hand. I stared at it for a few seconds before grasping it with my own scratched up one and shaking it.

"I think we are."

"So. When are you meant to be released?"

I shrugged. "Dunno. Next week?" My voice cracked on the last word, probably due to under use. I scowled while Annabeth started laughing.

"Try and get better soon, okay? I need some company at school." What did she mean she needed company? Were we really that good friends now?

"What?"

"I think I told you yesterday, I've kinda been avoiding Jason and the others because...well. It's easier."

"Avoiding your problems doesn't fix them," I said wisely. Except it was ruined by a coughing fit. Well, I tried, okay?

"No, it doesn't," she mused. "But it does give me time to think about them."

"Wait..." I realized that Annabeth had already been in the hospital for some reason. "Why are you at the hospital still?"

"It's not because of you, if that's what you're thinking," she said. "My mom, uh...she was in an accident."

"Oh. That sucks."

"Speaking of which, I talked to your mom." My eyes bulged. She laughed at my reaction. "Don't worry, she didn't say anything weird. I met your brother, too. And...she told me about your dad."

I cast my eyes to the ceiling. Why had Mom told _Annabeth_ about that? Now she was going to apologize and stuff! I didn't want her sympathy, I didn't want _anyone's_ sympathy. Maybe because I rarely ever got it from people. Everyone just ruled me off as a delinquent with a crappy future. I personally thought it was pretty accurate.

"Hey, I'm not going to tell anyone or anything. I'm sorry. My parents divorced and this is a bad comparison, but I never see my dad either. It's hard, but at least he's still alive."

"My dad might not be dead," I defended, but as much as I tried to convince myself, I knew it wasn't true. "He's only, he was only lost..." To my horror, I felt tears well in my eyes. Alarmed, I sat straight up and looked in the opposite direction. She could _not_ see me cry. No way in hell.

"Percy..." I didn't turn around. "I know that you know the truth, so I'm not going to try and force it on you. I'm sorry, and I know that it doesn't change anything, but you can talk to me. I know we had a rocky start but...I want to start over."

I swallowed and twisted my head so I was facing her again. "Yeah. Yeah, okay. Hi, I'm Percy Jackson and I'm a massive jerk. But I'm secretly a huge dork."

She smiled and nodded. "Well, I'm Annabeth Chase and I'm top of the class in everything. But I'd trade it in a heartbeat to have a normal life."

"I lied. My real name isn't Percy. It's Perseus."

"Like the Greek hero?"

"Only that dude had good luck. Me? Not so much," I said, grinning slightly.

"Well, you met me. That's some pretty good luck right there," she cracked. I nodded seriously.

"You're right. Since I met you more people than usual want me dead. Thanks for that." We sat in silence and contemplated the conversation we'd just had.

"Damn, we just had a civil conversation," I mused.

"Get used to it, Jackson. You're my friend now, and I take my friendships very seriously."

"Jeez, you sound like we're starting a relationship or something," I muttered. At her glare I shut up. But talking to her had made me forget about the

So, we were friends. For the second time.

Hopefully we wouldn't need a third.

 **Annabeth's POV**

School passed relatively quickly the next week, which was surprising considering the workload. Teachers were giving out homework left and right and I barely had time to finish it all. But nothing of interest happened until Thursday the week after my mom had been admitted to hospital (she was still in a coma).

First period Calculus with Mrs Dodds. Nothing of importance normally. I was sitting at the back on my own, since I had no friends in this class. I was still avoiding my friends, anyway. Anyway, everything was going smoothly until halfway through the lesson, when the door opened and a boy stepped into the class. I swear everything stopped as he walked in as if nothing was wrong.

 _Everything_ was wrong.

The people who didn't know him (let's be real, there was only like one of those people) just stared at the rest of the class in bewilderment. The rest of us were eyeballing him as if he had three heads.

And he strode right up to my desk and sat down beside me. Which did not help the stares one bit.

"Percy," I whispered. "What the _hell_ are you doing?"

He glanced at me. "Sitting, Chase. I thought that was obvious."

"No, why are you not in _disguise?_ " The entire class was still watching us, so we had to keep our voices extremely low.

"I didn't think it was necessary."

"Of course it's _necessary,_ do you know how-" I cut off abruptly as something occurred to me. "They'll find out who I am!"

"Relax, it'll be fine."

"You're an idiot," I told him.

One corner of his mouth quirked upwards. "I've been told that so many times I'm actually nearly starting to believe it." I couldn't believe he was joking when he was literally blowing up the high school gossip mill with his actions, but I couldn't suppress my snicker. Of course, it only got worse from there.

"Oh my gods, have you _seen_ the new guy? He's, like, totally hot!"

" _Jackson_ is here, dude. I'm gonna kill him."

"Can you believe it's him?"

These were the general comments that were being made in the hallways. Or, the ones that were slightly more frustrating to me:

"Why was he sitting with _Carter?_ I'm, like, so much prettier!"

"Dude, if he knows Carter does that mean she's in a gang too?"

So by the time lunch came around, my nerves were frazzled. I was tempted to rip off the wig once and for all and laugh at everyone who had ever made a snide comment about me cowering because of who I really was. But I wasn't going to do that. Instead I headed over to Percy's table when he waved me over and took a seat opposite him. The table was occupied by two other girls along with us, one of whom was clinging to his shoulder.

"So, you're practically famous," I said conversationally. He went to shrug but couldn't because of the girl on his shoulder. He glanced down at her irritably. I was about to make a joke but was cut short by four other people sitting down at the table.

"Hi, Annie!" Leo said exaggeratedly. I snorted at his lame attempt of trying to diffuse the tension.

"Hey, Leo," I replied.

"You, my friend, have some explaining to do," he said, pointing an accusing finger at me. Jason, Piper and Thalia leaned forward, anticipating my answer.

"Well..." I glanced over at Percy, seeking guidance on what I should say. He seemed to be deeply immersed in the conversation the two girls were having about shoes, but he must've felt my gaze on him because he looked up and gave me a quick smile. The others watched the exchange with suspicious eyes.

"I knew it! Something's happened between you two! Did he propose to you in the rain and now you're pregnant with triplets and you have to make a heartbreaking decision over whether to keep them or not?" Even the girls talking about shoes paused in their conversation to stare at Leo in confusion.

"Um, no-"

"Well, I wanted to keep them, but it's fine if you don't feel the same way," Percy assured me. "Or I can raise them while you go have an affair in Barcelona."

Now everyone was staring at Percy except the girls, who had gone back to their conversations.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He reached forward and grabbed my hands across the table. "It's okay, sweetheart, we don't have to hide it anymore!" I tried to pull my hands away but his grip was too strong. "I'm done with lying about us, Annabeth!"

"Oh my gods, you're an idiot," I muttered while Leo and Piper watched with unconcealed amusement and Jason and Thalia were glaring at Percy. I recalled Piper once saying that Thalia could be in a gang. Maybe that's why she didn't like Percy.

"Hey, Annabeth, our love isn't idiotic."

"Shut it, Seaweed Brain."

"No-" His eyebrows suddenly raised and he turned to the two girls beside him. "Um, excuse me? Prada is _so_ better than Jimmy Choo!"

"Annie, your boyfriend is a dork," Leo stated.

"Don't you even start," I said threateningly. He wisely shut up. "Anyway, we're friends now. Cool? Is that okay?"

Jason was the first one to talk. "Listen, Annabeth, I'm really sorry for overreacting, but you can't really blame me. I'll...tolerate him, if it makes you happy."

Thalia was next. "I didn't want to tell you, but I'm gonna have to. I'm in the Hunters. I'm so so sorry for not telling you before, but I figured you'd hate me. But there you go."

I raised an eyebrow at Piper and she shrugged. "Hey, I'll support you with everything, you know that. You wanna be friends with some dork, go ahead. I'm still your number one bestie." I grinned at her and Leo clapped his hands together.

"Aw! Group hug!" No one moved. "Well, fine, it can be an imaginary hug, then. Whatever, guys." And just like that, everything was seemingly normal with my friends. The rest of the school could wait. Because right then I was pretty happy, and nothing could take that away from me.

Nothing except the phone call.

 **It's a cliffhanger! Damn, I'm evil. But it means that I have at least some idea of what's gonna happen next (for once!), so yeah. There was a lot more positive Percabeth interaction in this chapter, so hopefully that makes up for it.**

 **Reviewer Replies:**

 **Gianna - I'm glad you think that, and I do agree that maybe the swearing _is_ a little excessive. I'll try cut down**

 **Guest - Don't worry, even if I take an age to update, I'm still going to continue it!**

 **neyongreen - I feel for you, not having your computer. How did you survive? You're reviewing now, which is what counts. Yup, he's his full brother, and I'll try not to! But I'm not making any guarantees**

 **1quintisfan - The perks of being socially awkward huh? I'mm glad it adds to the story though. I'll give him his memory back...over time. You guys all know the truth anyway**

 **Psyche Castle - I'm always nervous about writing Sally because I never think I can capture her kindness. Glad you're still liking the story!**

 **Until next time,**

 **HV**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N**

 **So...I apologize for the longer update (but let's be real, at least it wasn't another four months). But I was busy discovering Skillet and reading PJO fanfics way better than my own. So, this chapter's kinda subdued, but something important _actually_ happens! I know, shocker. But anyway, here it is!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Percy's POV**

I leaned my head back against the brickwork, closing my eyes as I tried to relax. I was up on the roof of a building near Goode with nothing but the faint buzz of afternoon traffic to distract me from my thoughts. I used to come up here every day, but I hadn't been able to do that recently. Or rather, I'd been too busy and forgotten about it. It was one of the only places in New York where you could get away from the noise, since it was right on the outskirts of town. It gave me room to think, which was normally a good thing.

Today was an exception.

The thought of Dakota's death was weighing heavily on my mind. I didn't know if I'd killed him or not, even though I could swear that I never would. All the evidence pointed towards me. Maybe I...I _had_ killed him. Maybe it was out of self defense, maybe it was an accident. Maybe it was true.

I'd also shown up to school not as Peter but as Percy. _That_ had drawn some attention. I didn't know why I'd done it. I guess I was sick of hiding behind lies. You can only tell so many before it gets old. But it was impulsive, way more than my normal stupid actions. I could only hope it wouldn't come back and bite me in the ass.

"Hey, Percy." I didn't jump at the sound of Rachel's voice and I kept my eyes closed. I'd kind of been expecting someone to show up. It was one of those days. I was feeling detached, like I was an a different level to the rest of the world. But everyone was still trying to get through to me, even though I was in another dimension.

"Hi Rachel," I replied calmly, for once not feeling the twisting anxiety and stomach-churning regret that I usually felt when I was around her. That was a nice change.

I felt her sit down next to me. "How are you doing?"

"I've been better. But I'm surviving."

"Barely, seeing as you nearly got crushed by a building," she said.

A small smile tugged at my lips. "A _burning_ building."

I opened my eyes and glanced at her as she thought about what to say to me. "Percy, I'm really sorry. For getting you caught up in this whole gang thing. We both know it's my fault, so don't try and convince me otherwise," she added.

I tilted my head to one side, though the movement was delayed and almost lazy. "You know, you've never apologized before now." She hadn't. She'd said that she was sorry I'd become what I had, she'd also told me how I shouldn't have joined. But she'd never actually apologized to my face before now.

"Yeah, I know," she said, taking a deep breath. "At first I was so angry at you for joining. Then you started...changing, and that anger kept blossoming and turned into disgust. Maybe pity. I began to hate you, Percy." She looked down at her feet and her lips quirked slightly. "For a while, I thought you were truly becoming the person that people expect you to be, but I think you're getting past that."

"So...you're apologizing because I'm less of an asshole now?"

She cracked a smile. "Basically, yeah."

"What if I pushed you off this building right now? Would you still want to apologize?" I joked, meeting her intense green gaze.

"I think you've already had enough bad experiences with buildings, Jackson." We both fell silent, staring out at the city spread out before out. It was still pretty light, but I could spot a rainbow in the distance. That meant rain. I hadn't even felt the cold before, but now I was kind of regretting not wearing a hoodie.

"Shit, it's cold," I said, my teeth chattering slightly. Rachel gave me a condescending glance.

"You didn't notice before now?"

"Nah, I was kinda...preoccupied."

She shook her head. "Jeez, Percy. Let's get you inside, okay? Did you come up the stairs or through the door?" I winced. There were two ways to access the rooftop to this building: the elevator inside or the twenty flights of stairs that wrapped around the outside of the building. Guess which one I took? Seeing my expression, Rachel's eyebrows pinched together. "You took the stairs, didn't you?"

"Well, uh, you see, I _may_ have wanted to burn out my leftover energy, so I-"

She cut me off before I could get out an actual excuse. "Whatever, Perce. Let's just go."

"Hey, you took the stairs too!"

"I forgot how much of an idiot you can be."

I flashed her my best grin. "Well, that's what you get for ignoring me for two years."

"I told you I'm sorry."

"This is only the second time you've said it."

"Perseus Jackson," she began, and I flinched at the use of my full name. Only Poseidon called me that. "I am sorry for being a bitch to you, but you've also been a jerk, so you can't really blame me. I think we're even. Agreed?"

"Sure," I answered, shrugging in reply. "We're cool, Red. Don't sweat it."

"I only wish..." she cut herself off. "Maybe if things were different, we could have worked it out between us."

I'd had a thing for Rachel practically since I'd first met her. I was pretty sure that she'd reciprocated the feeling, and we got to be happy for maybe a month. That was when reality came crashing down and I realized that loving someone could be a weakness. It could be used against you, manipulated until you can't do anything but beg and hope you get away with your life. I had had to pretend that I didn't care. And so I became a world class douchebag. I still wasn't sure whether I liked Rachel or not any more. An idea clicked in my head and I decided to act on it before I thought about the consequences. I tended to do that a lot.

"Hey, Rachel?" I asked casually.

"Hmm?"

"Do you still like me?"

"Percy...do you really want to-"

"I just wanna try something, Rach. Please. I just...I need to see." She narrowed her eyes at me questioningly but nodded. So I did something impulsive that I may or may not regret later. I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers, just as drizzle started falling from the sky. Wow, how sickeningly cliche.

I know, I know, say whatever you want. I just needed to know if...if I still had any lingering feelings for her.

The kiss itself wasn't anything incredibly special. It wasn't bad or anything, but it just didn't have the same spark as it used to. I was sure she felt the same way because when we broke away, she wore the exact same emotions on her face that I was feeling.

"I just had to...make sure," I said quietly. She locked her eyes onto mine and I noticed the way that her hair had frizzed slightly from the light rain. I could few a faint mist dampening my face and realized how foggy it had suddenly gotten.

"I know. Gods, we really messed things up didn't we?"

"Yeah. But I'd say we're cool now."

Her eyes showed just how torn up she was feeling right then, and I figured that I was probably the same. My inner turmoil and conflicts were clear to read on my face, and it was then that Rachel and I shared a moment that I'd never be able to explain to anyone else in the future, no matter how hard I tried. It was a moment of apology, of nostalgia and of understanding. And I think that was what started us on our way to mending our friendship.

As we walked down the many flights of stairs, I mulled over what had just happened. More importantly, what I'd been thinking when I'd kissed Rachel. Or rather, who I'd been thinking of.

Because the girl in my mind wasn't Rachel Dare. It wasn't even Beth Charman. It was the infuriating know it all that I'd been forced to swallow a friendship with. I tried to shake it away, get her out of my brain. But the thought of her was imprinted, forever lingering in the back of my head. I didn't want her there, but that's where she stayed.

 _That_ prospect scared the shit out of me. It also left me feeling dull, empty. I didn't like her, so why was she in my head? And the worst part was, I knew it was a hopeless cause.

 **Annabeth's POV**

 _"I am sorry to inform you that Athena Chase has passed away."_

These were the words replaying in my head as I sat in the hospital, back in the waiting room yet again.

 _"We have reason to believe that her death may have been an affect of foul play. We will need you to answer some questions for her."_

An _affect._ As if she was nothing more than a consequence.

They'd asked me whether or not she'd been involved in any kind of illegal activity, or whether there was anyone I knew who might want to hurt her. There were plenty of people, I'd thought dryly. People who hated me that wanted to get even. But how would they know my mother? I kept my private life _very_ secret. Not even all of my friends knew my mother's name.

So I'd lied, told them that no one could possibly want her dead. After all, no one _did_ want her dead. They wanted me to feel pain. And with that, they'd succeeded.

"Miss Chase?"

I sighed and looked up at the doctor. "What's up?"

"You can go now. We'll send around a police officer to talk about who's going to take custody of you now that, uh..."

"You can say it," I told him firmly. "Don't dance around it or sugarcoat it. She's dead. No need to pretend that she isn't."

He winced and fixed me with an apologetic look. "Right. Sorry, ma'am. But for tonight it's easier if you just go back to your house and get some rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day."

I stood up and brushed past him, calling over my shoulder. "Thank you. See you tomorrow." It only sounded fifty percent sarcastic.

As I walked home I tried to distract myself as much as possible. I stopped in at various shops, I watched the passing cars and I constantly checked my phone. Nothing seemed to work. I was in a state of dullness, not able to feel anything due to the numbness taking over my body. It was raining and I was getting soaked, but I really didn't care. It only processed in my mind when I was halfway to my house that going home would be dumb. I mean, my mom had been _attacked,_ I might be next if I was home alone. No, I had to go somewhere else. The hospital? That was my only real option, so I turned on my heel and changed directions. My mom was dead. My mother, Athena Chase, who had raised me on her own. Would I go to live with my father now? Or would I attend some kind of boarding school? Staying at Goode was probably out of the question for me now, but I couldn't find it within me to really care. High school wasn't really a big deal in my life right now.

The younger version of myself would've strangled me for just thinking that. I almost laughed at the thought. I was so far from my innocent, adolescent self. Would my father still want me? I barely even knew what the guy looked like, for gods' sake. It was ridiculous. I scowled at a nearby car as it drove through a puddle, spraying me with dirty water. I barely noticed the cold seeping through my clothes. As I trudged along, I noticed absentmindedly that I wasn't heading towards the hospital any more. I dismissed the thought and let my body wander wherever it wanted. It allowed me to think.

One of the many things swirling around in my head was Thalia's casual confession: she was a Hunter. It had only been a one sentence admission, but that had been enough. She was a _Hunter._ I wondered idly when she'd found out about me being, well, Annabeth _Chase._

The other thing which had been bugging me was who had killed my mom. Had they meant to kill her, or just injure her? Whatever the intention, that didn't change the facts: someone had sought her out to get to me. Maybe I was being paranoid, but I was almost certain that I was right.

My thoughts were interrupted, however, when I reached my apparent destination.

"You as well?" I glanced up and realized that I'd walked myself to the Half-Blood HQ unknowingly. Percy was slouched against the wall, a weirdly calm expression on his face. His dark hair was plastered to his head and rain drops were dripping down his face. I stepped forward and stood next to him, resting my back on the wet brick wall. I was already soaked, anyway.

"Depends what we're talking about." I was surprised at how empty my voice sounded.

"The lack of emotion. The sense of numbing uncaring."

"Your vocabulary's expanding. Your teachers should be proud." He shrugged, and I noticed then that he wasn't wearing a jacket. His shirt was completely soaked and stuck to his form. He was shaking slightly, obviously trying to control it and stay still. "Percy, you're freezing."

"N-no I'm not," he stuttered, his teeth chattering. He clearly was.

"Percy, you're going to get hypothermia."

"I-I'm fine. She t-tried to tell me that, too," he answered, looking away from me. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Besides, you're soaked too. You should-"

"I'm wearing a hoodie and a raincoat! You, on the other hand, are going to freeze to death if you don't warm up soon."

"Good."

I stared at him, not knowing what to make of his words. "What do you mean 'good'?"

"If I die. Less pressure on mom, you won't have to put up with me..."

"I won't have to put up with you and your stupid mood swings? I don't care, Percy! Just...where do you live? I'll take you home. You need to thaw out." I didn't know why I was trying so hard to help him. I mean, I still hadn't forgiven him for everything he'd put me through, but maybe a part of me was hoping that...that the nice side of him he'd shown as Pierre would resurface and-

Oh, who was I kidding. The guy didn't even know who I was! He didn't know about the conflicting feelings I felt for him. One minute he was the nicest guy on the planet, the next he was insulting and arrogant.

"But I'm...I'm an awful p-person. I d-don't deserve t-to be-"

"Shut it. I mean it, where do you live? Seriously, I'm not letting you die on me," I told him firmly, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the wall.

"Don't touch me, I'm _fine._ Just...leave me alone," he snapped, muttering the last few words. I only tightened my grip on him.

"There you go, you always switch from being kinda cool to being a jerk in a split second! But I'm still going to help you because I'm nice like that. Let's go." We were out on the street now, walking through the darkness with only a few street lights to light our path.

"I don't _want_ help, Chase! I don't want to feel, I just want to-"

"So you're sadistic now? Is that it? If you don't want help then maybe you'll help me. Because unlike you, I don't have a mother to go home to! I can't have a hot shower without fear of being attacked. So get over yourself because you've actually got somewhere to go," I retorted, the empty feeling almost shattered completely. I was hoping that maybe I'd be able to snap Percy out of his weird, uncaring daze.

"Why are you trying to argue? Just leave me here, maybe I'll live and maybe I won't. Who cares? Stop being selfish and go away!"

"Oh, _I'm_ the selfish one? Percy, you're willing to throw away your life even when I'm telling you not to! At this rate, _I'm_ going to freeze myself because of _you!_ " His eyes softened slightly and I knew that he was near cracking. The next words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. "Besides, you don't want to be responsible for _another_ death, do you?"

In that moment, many emotions passed over his face but I couldn't read a single one. I knew that I'd gone too far. It was the lowest of blows. His eyes hardened and his lips pressed together in a thin line. "Come on," he said roughly, his hand latching onto my shoulder with an iron grip. When I tried to shrug it off he dug his fingers into my flesh and pulled me along. "You're the reason I'm doing this, don't struggle." Not for the first, I felt a twinge of fear because of the boy before me. He was unpredictable, either taking me to my death or my salvation. I wasn't sure I really cared, and stamped down the worry. Percy wouldn't hurt me, not this time. He was going to help me.

I was proved right when we arrived at an apartment building. Percy led (read; dragged) me up the stairs and he stopped me outside of one of the doors. "You can't tell _anyone_ where I live, got it?" I merely nodded, too cold to do anything else. He twisted the handle and pushed the door open, pulling me inside before closing the door.

"Oh, Percy, is that you?" The woman's voice sounded oddly familiar. But who-

"Yeah, mom."

"I'm glad you're back-oh, hello dear...Annabeth? Is that you?" I felt my jaw drop when I saw her step out from behind the doorframe. I was such an idiot, I _knew_ that Sally was Percy's mom! I blamed it on the cold.

"Hi, Sally," I said weakly. Percy looked between us with a look of confusion on his face.

"You two _know_ each other?"

"Yeah," I replied shortly.

"We met at the hospital," Sally added. Percy gave me a questioning gaze but I skilfully ignored it. "Annabeth, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you here? I didn't think that the two of you got on very well."

I tried to come up with a suitable answer. "It's..."

"Complicated," Percy finished.

"Right, well...you two must be freezing! Annabeth, you take a shower first and I'll leave some of clothes at the door. The bathroom is the second door on the right," Sally said, pointing down the hallway. I nodded my gratitude and headed in the direction of the shower. I could barely open the door due to my numb fingers. Going as quickly as I could, I stripped and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water cascade over me. I kept my thoughts to myself because I didn't want to take too long. I turned the water off and grabbed one of the towels which were neatly folded on the vanity. As promised, there was a pile of clothes sitting outside the door when I cracked it open. I picked them up and shut the door again, not wanting any run ins.

Sally had given me some leggings, a white t-shirt and a large hoodie. I pulled them on thankfully, relishing the warmth they gave me. I gave myself a once-over in the mirror before I headed out. My blonde, normally curly hair was pulled back in a haphazard ponytail. My tanned face was pale and my eyes seemed to have lost some of their fire. Sighing, I turned and headed back out into the living room.

As soon as I entered, Percy stood up and brushed past me, disappearing further into the apartment. Sally gestured for me to take a seat and I did so cautiously.

"Are you okay, Annabeth? How's your mother?" She asked gently.

I felt my face blanch and I chewed my lip. "Um, well, she...she was...she's dead," I stammered out, the reality finally hitting me. My mother was gone, I would never see her again. Unbidden tears welled in my eyes and I frantically wiped them away. Sally stood up and sat beside me, wrapping her arms around me.

"It's okay, let it all out. I'm here if you need to talk to anyone." I couldn't fight the tears any more and they began making tracks down my face. I buried my face into Sally's shoulder and sobbed, letting out all the pent up emotions I'd kept bottled up. Once I was finished crying about my mother, I began sobbing about everything that had happened in my life. Everything including my friends, the gangs, my family. Whatever my brain could come up with.

When my eyes ran dry I looked up and gave Sally a watery, apologetic smile. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, dear, it's alright. You already know that I lost my parents. You never quite get over it, but you learn to live with it," she reassured me, patting my knee.

"Th-thank you," I sniffed. She only nodded and gave me another smile.

"It looks like my son wants to talk to you. Percy, I have told you it's better to announce your entrances, haven't I? Well, I'll let you two talk while I rustle up something for you to eat." With that, she got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. I could hear cupboards being opened and packets rustling. My eyes shifted to where Percy was awkwardly standing, hands shoved in his jeans pockets. I nodded to the seat next to me. He silently sat down and I waited for him to say something.

"Uh, I'm sorry about, you know, snapping at you before. I was kinda out of it, if you couldn't tell," he added with a tiny grin. I tried to return it but failed. "So, uh, I heard you talking about your mom. Do you know...how she died?"

I was expecting to feel angry at him for eavesdropping. Instead, I felt relieved that I was able to talk to him about it. "She...she was attacked. I think it was...it was a warning, for me."

His eyebrows shot up. "But why would anyone...maybe the person that killed her also killed Dakota!"

"Percy..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say. "Do you know how likely it is that you were the one who murdered him?"

He shook his head, his eyes widening. "No, I know it wasn't me. We _have_ to find this guy, Annabeth! He can clear my name!"

"But...what if it _was_ you?"

"You...you don't believe me, do you?" He asked me, his eyes narrowing. "You think I killed him."

"There's _witnesses-_ "

"Only one!" He pointed out. "Besides, Arellano? She hates my guts. She was going to kill _me_ if the building hadn't set on fire."

"Let's not talk about this, because it's not going to end well," I said, and he hesitantly nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Me? What about _you?_ You're the one who-"

"Percy, I asked about you."

He swallowed. "Just...personal conflicts. Whether I killed Dakota, whether I love people or not, whether pineapple belongs on pizza or not."

"The first one is undetermined, the second one I can't really help you with, and the last one? Deep thoughts you're having there," I said, smiling. "I've got a few of those myself."

"Like what?"

"Whether I'm partially responsible for my mom's death. Whether to tell someone who I really am. Whether I should tell _you_ that Hawaiian is obviously the best pizza flavor there is. Well, second best."

One corner of his mouth quirked upwards. "Well, you've already implied the last one, and as for the first one, you're not responsible. The one who's to blame is the one who killed her, not you. The second one, well, I dunno. I doubt that I'm the person you want to talk to, so there's really nothing you can do about that."

Did I tell him, or did I just let it drag on? Would he even care? Yes, I decided, yes he would. I should tell him. I should-

"As a matter of fact, you _are_ the person I need to talk to," I began, closing my eyes. "I don't know how to say this, but-"

"Don't tell me you're pregnant."

I stared at him. "Um, what?"

"Don't tell me you're pregnant," he repeated. "I don't want you being all PMS-y and then I'd have to go beat up the father and-"

"Percy!" I exclaimed, loudly enough to make him shut up. "No, I'm _not_ pregnant! Gods, why would you even think that? No, this is, well, I'm...you're going to hate me for not telling you earlier. You'll hate me and then I'll never be able to-"

" _Annabeth._ " I glanced up. "I won't hate you. Just tell me what it is."

"Alright. I'll just spit it out, then," I said nervously. "Do you know a Beth Charman?"

"I...how do you know-" He stopped abruptly, his green eyes widening and staring into my grey ones intensely. "No. No _fucking_ way."

I smiled, though it came out as a slight grimace. "Hi, Pierre. It's me."

 **So, uh, I just realized that I kinda left the last chapter on a cliffhanger and that I should _probably_ update before I'm murdered. And then...well, this happened! So it's kinda got a weird vibe to it, but hopefully you guys like it. **

**Reviewer Replies:**

 **neyongreen - I do indeed! I have a very wide music taste and they are included**

 **Psyche Castle - You had to wait a bit longer this time, but here you go!**

 **1quintisfan - Personally, that was my favourite part, too, and I have anticipated writing it from very early on. There is also another scene that I'm looking forward to write, but I'm pretty sure that all you readers won't see why. And thank you for the blue cookies (I might actually bake some tomorrow)**

 **Until next time,**

 **HV**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N**

 **It's been two months. I know, I'm an awful author. But this chapter is a bit longer than usual (like 33% longer) so hopefully that makes up for it. A lot actually happens, and these next two chapters are two I've been excited about writing for a long time (I don't know why, because they're not all that nice), so I hope you like reading them.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Percy's POV**

What the hell was I meant to say to that? ' _Oh Annabeth, that's splendid! Now we can elope and run off to Tahiti and everything will be marvelous!'_?

I didn't think so.

"When...when did you find out?" I asked, my voice so quiet I could barely hear it myself.

She looked at me with a tight smile pinching her lips. "Two days ago. I didn't see a better time to tell you, and besides, I didn't want to spring it on you in case you reacted...rashly." Me, react rashly? What was she talking about?

...Don't answer that.

I was practically speechless. What was I supposed to say? How was I meant to feel? I couldn't yell at her for not telling me sooner, not really, because it _had_ only been two days. I couldn't bring myself to talk about what had happened between us on that stupid camp. So what did that leave for me to do? For once in my life, I was totally unsure. So I decided to work on my feelings. I felt... _relieved_ , for some weird reason. I couldn't pinpoint it, but there was some reassurance in the fact that my one real friend was here, and I wouldn't have to worry about never seeing her again. But with that came the confusion.

Was she Annabeth or was she Beth? I could've kicked myself for not making the connection sooner. The wig shouldn't have changed anything, it should've been obvious. Hell, the names weren't even that different! Beth was the second half of Annabeth's name, for crying out loud! But now I wasn't sure how I was supposed to act around her. Did we pretend that the camp hadn't happened? Because I'd been riding a whole lot of hope on that week, because if I could get away from my life and enjoy myself like I did then, who was there to say it couldn't happen again? Though in reality, it was a mix of two of my worlds coming together.

"I...I need to think this over," I mumbled, wincing at how choked my voice came out. "I need...space."

She only nodded, obviously not wanting to say the wrong thing and tick me off. She stood up and, without a word, headed out of the room and let herself out the door. I leaned my head back against the couch, closing my eyes. I was beyond confused. The clarity in my life was now starting to blur together, and I was struggling to make out what belonged where.

There was, however, one aspect of my life that I was certain about. I was certain about my doomed future, but that was at least something, right? So I made a decision that I would come to regret with every fiber of my being.

"Mom, I'm going out!" I yelled, opening my eyes and sitting up slowly.

There was silence. Then, "don't do anything rash." This was probably the first time I was going to be actively seeking out trouble, so I suppose my next actions were going to be rash. But I didn't want her to worry.

"If I'm not back tonight, I'll be at Grover's." Grover was a member of the Half Bloods, but he mainly organized stuff. I tended to crash at his place whenever I was too injured to go home, or I just didn't want my mom seeing me. It doubled as a great cover if I was going out to do something stupid, just like I was right now.

"Alright, honey. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah," I replied, pulling my hood over my head and shrugging on my leather jacket over top. I double checked that Riptide was in my pocket. Yes, I kept the pen. Hey, it had saved my life! Besides, I could take it to school just in case and no one would think I was weird. I still didn't know how it turned into a knife, but it did and that was all that mattered.

The rain was still pouring, but I barely noticed it. The whole point of what I was about to do was to make me momentarily forget about my conflicted thoughts and feelings, so the possibility of hypothermia didn't really bother me. I kept my head down as I navigated the streets of Manhattan, my body seemingly on autopilot as I sifted through my thoughts. That quickly grew old, so I decided to think about how I'd go about my next move.

I supposed the main question was how far I was willing to go to momentarily lose myself.

The answer should have been obvious. Percy Jackson didn't half do things. Percy Jackson followed through, no matter how dumb the task in question was.

But I hesitated, pausing right outside the entrance to the too-familiar alleyway. Why was I waiting? This wasn't some stupid soap opera, it was my life. No one was going to come and save me, to persuade me to not attempt to throw my life away. No one was going to stop me from falling.

And certainly no one was going to catch me on the other side. I'd done plenty of things like this, for the same reasons, before. The first time it had happened, I'd been hoping someone would come and stop me, to tell me to snap out of it and help me through it. The first time it had happened, I'd been hoping that that person might be Rachel.

Now I was stuck on the same thought, hoping someone might tell me not to. Nobody ever told me not to. Nobody except Annabeth. I wanted Annabeth to find me and tell me how stupid I was being. That risking your life was no way to dull your emotions. I stood there, thinking that over, for at least ten minutes. Then I shook my head. Why would she come? No one ever came. I was alone, and had been since the start.

And so I stepped into the alley, a strange feeling tugging on my heart. Self preservation. Even then I knew, I knew that I was about to make an irrevocable mistake. But it didn't stop me from approaching Tantalus, who was casually lounging on one of the couches. You'd think he had no life outside the Half Bloods. Actually, he probably didn't.

"Jackson," he greeted, his eyes focusing on a spot just to the left of my face. Just great.

"Tantalus," I returned. "I want a mission."

He blinked, and of all the previous spaciness was gone. An evil smile curled his lips upward. If I had any common sense, I'd be afraid. But at that point, I was too far gone to care.

"Excellent."

 **Annabeth's POV**

As soon as I left Percy's apartment, I decided to do something I'd been desperately trying not to think about. I knew that I had to do it now or else days would turn into weeks, weeks would turn into months, and then it would seem pointless to do anything at all and I would end up feeling like I'd betrayed her.

It was still raining, making me wish that I'd gone home first to grab a proper coat. Instead, I was stuck with a hoodie which was most definitely _not_ waterproof, but at least it was big and I could gather it around myself for warmth.

Once I arrived at the building, I didn't want to go in. I would be surrounded by lifeless bodies, ashes which used to be people, alive, just like me. I shuddered as I pushed open the door, trying not to take in the smell. The brightly colored wallpaper didn't seem to fit with what the building actually was. It seemed like a tacky disguise. I knew all about disguises.

But entering this place, it made those disguises all seem pointless.

What was the point in hiding your face, your name, when there was no one left I cared about that could be harmed?

And just like that, a thought occurred to me. I didn't know what brought about the sudden memory, only that it hit me hard and left me speechless.

My mom was perfectly healthy. The doctors hadn't told me directly, but I'd overheard them talking and no body should have been mutilated to that extreme just from a car crash. One had even mentioned suspicions of it having been an intentional crash. Maybe it was intentional. Maybe it was foul play.

Someone attacked her and disguised it as a car crash, just to get to me.

I knew I had to solve it. I had to figure out what really happened to my mom.

The person sitting at the desk seemed to notice me for the first time. Her dark, drab appearance didn't match the room and her mouth was set into a frown, as if she hadn't even bothered trying to appear happy in such a place. I instantly took a liking to her for it.

"I'm here to pick up the ashes of Athena Chase," I told her, keeping my voice firm. _'I'm here to pick up the ashes of Athena Chase'._ The words sounded so heartless, so material, and I hated myself for it. The woman stared at me through perceptive eyes, scrutinizing my appearance. Which wasn't much to look at right then.

"I'll go get them for you. Wait here, please," she said, then disappeared into a room behind the counter. I didn't feel the need to sit, so I remained standing, pacing around the small reception area. There was another man in there who looked to be in his early forties. I hadn't noticed him earlier, but in my defense he _was_ sitting right in the corner. He caught me staring and gave me a half-hearted smile.

"There's been a lot of people in here, recently." I was slightly shocked that he'd spoken, but places like these were exactly like hospitals: you could talk to anyone and they'd all have a sad story to share. You didn't need to worry about judgment or awkwardness or anxiety.

"It's been a difficult few weeks," I said hesitantly, not sure whether or not I'd upset the man or not.

He shook his head and sighed. "People as young as you shouldn't be able to say that."

"If you think I'm jaded, you should meet my friend Percy." Although I meant it as a joke, my throat closed up as soon as I said his name.

"If you don't mind me prying, why are you in here?" He asked curiously, and I could see genuine sympathy written across his face. That was a nice change. Normally when people tell you that they're sorry for some awful thing that's happened in your life, they don't really feel it. Sure, they pity you. But they don't usually _genuinely_ care. It doesn't affect them, so why should they? But this man was different. Only one who had also experienced a loss could understand somebody else's.

"My mother. It was a...car crash." _No, it wasn't._

"Teens shouldn't have to deal with things like that. I'm sorry." He cleared his throat before continuing. "I lost my son a week ago. Murdered in an alley somewhere. No one knows who did it." At his words, my mind snapped into extra focus.

"I don't want to intrude, but was his name Dakota?"

"Yes, did you know him?"

One of my hands flew up to my mouth involuntarily. "Not very well, but...yes. My friend...he was hospitalized that week, and the doctors mentioned it." Okay, that was a lie. But I couldn't exactly tell him that there was a good chance my friend had been the one to kill him.

"Is this the same friend you mentioned earlier?" I nodded. "He seems like a very unlucky guy."

Despite myself, I barked out a laugh. "You don't know the half of it."

"Is he okay now?"

"He's got a bit of a limp, but nothing too major. I don't know how he went from barely being able to speak to being fully mobile in two days, though," I mused.

"Maybe he's not so unlucky, then. It looks like you're wanted at the counter," he said, pointing behind me. I turned and, sure enough, the lady was there with a dark gray urn. I glanced back at Dakota's father and smiled.

"It was nice talking to you," I told him genuinely.

"You too. It's young women like you that think maybe this world isn't doomed after all." I stepped up to the desk and hesitantly reached out toward the urn.

"It was the least provocative color choice. I figured you might appreciate it," the woman said, looking at my expression. I simply nodded, whispered a 'thank you' and tucked the urn into the hoodies pocket before walking out of the store. The sting of the rain was a shock compared to the musty air in the building.

A odd feeling began nagging at my thoughts, as if there was something else I had to do, but I could think of nothing. I was just being paranoid, of course there was nothing else important enough that needed doing. So, with that thought in mind, I headed home.

The feeling never left me.

 **Percy's POV**

 _Find out who killed Dakota._

The words were running through my head over and over again.

 _Arellano's keeping quiet for now, but Dionysus only convinced her to give us two weeks to figure out who it was. You may have noticed that the two weeks are almost up._

No one had even bothered to fill me in on that. It didn't make much difference, seeing as I'd been unconscious for most of it.

 _I hope you realize that if we can't figure it out and she spills, it's the Half Bloods who are gonna get the rap. And, as second command, it's you who will be taking the fall. But I suppose that's only fair, since you_ are _, apparently, the prime suspect._

Maybe the police didn't have a clue who might have been responsible, but in Arellano's eyes, I was the only suspect. I was the one who had killed him. And, since I'd conveniently gotten amnesia right after it happened, there was no way that I could disprove it. But I knew I hadn't. I would never murder someone in cold blood. Not unless I really had to. And even then, I'd only temporarily disable them so I could get away. I wasn't a murderer. However, no one seemed to believe it.

Tantalus didn't. Arellano certainly didn't. Hell, even _Annabeth_ didn't believe me! And her thinking that I was lying, it was almost enough for me to doubt myself.

I'd been given an impossible mission, even I wasn't dumb enough to know that. I had basically four days to solve a murder, or else I'd be held accountable for it.

It was right then that I needed someone smart, someone logical to help me work through the facts. Yeah, I needed Annabeth. But I'd told her to give me space, and she'd only get mad if I asked for her help. Our relationship was already rocky, waiting to snap. We constantly fought, about everything, and we struggled to go a week without getting mad at one another. So maybe her help wouldn't be all that effective.

That meant I was on my own, so instead of doing the logical thing and spending the rest of the night piecing together the facts and evidence, I was going to do the Percy Jackson thing and confront everyone who I thought might've had even the smallest part to play in the crime. Of course, this was _me_ we were talking about, so I'd basically just end up interrogating everyone who I didn't like, but still. It was better than nothing. Because I still wanted to do _some_ damage to myself tonight.

Who better to start with than the person who I had the biggest vendetta against, the one person who I couldn't stand and despised with a vengeance?

Which was why I was currently stood outside the Titan HQ, trying to read the chicken scratch scribbled on a piece of paper that had been stuck to the door.

No meeting tonight, Drew's party

I mentally swore. Then, seeing as no one else was there and that was pointless, I cursed out loud. " _Shit._ "

I'd completely forgotten. Most of the teenage recruits went to Goode, and Drew was having what was supposedly the 'party of the year' tonight. Since it was the end of April, she was having her Easter party. She always waited until the end of the month to throw her parties because then she could scout out everybody else's and make hers a hundred times better.

As a general rule, I tended to avoid high school parties. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy them, I just found them kind of pointless. Besides, I didn't need a party as an excuse to get drunk when I could just grab something from HQ instead. But I didn't write it off right away.

If I went, I could try to find Luke, because knowing him, he'd be there. When people got inebriated, they were far more likely to open up to strangers about certain things, like how their disguise is such a pain. And when questioned about why they wear a disguise, well...game over. He also found entertainment in others making idiots of themselves, because he was sadistic like that.

And I also wanted to focus on something other than my life, so why not? I still had another four days to solve this thing, and everyone needs a break every once and a while, right? Right.

I regretted it the instant I walked in.

The music was too loud, the people were all intoxicated beyond common decency and there were so many of them that it would be near impossible to seek out one particular person in the crowd. But despite that, I didn't turn around. I should've. I should've bolted and not looked back. But I didn't, so everything that unfolded that night was completely my fault.

"Heyyyyyy," some random girl (who I faintly recognized from my Biology class) slurred as she bumped into me. I sidestepped her and delved deeper into the sea of faces, not having a clue what I was doing. Why _was_ I doing this? There was no point. It was hopeless. _I_ was hopeless.

After ten minutes of searching and still not finding Luke, I decided to give up. I was a party, I may as well make the most of it. I was confused about Annabeth. I was stressed about finding Dakota's killer. I was feeling conflicted and wanted - no, _needed_ \- a getaway. I couldn't do anything about Dakota if I felt like that, could I _?_

 _No, I definitely couldn't,_ I thought, weaving my way through the mass of bodies and into the kitchen, making a beeline for the freezer. _No way in hell,_ I added as I grabbed a can of beer and popped the tag.

I'm going to tell you a secret: I'm absolutely shit at holding my alcohol. Sure, I can have one drink and still be mostly fine, but any more than one and I get totally wasted. It was nice, in a way, because it was easy to let go of everything and just forget. It was also a major weakness of mine, which you are about to witness.

After downing half of the drink, I slipped into a quieter room near the back of the apartment. Drew's family owned the entire complex, so there was no need to worry about getting complaints.

I'm gonna say this right now, _why did I finally find someone worth talking to when I was drinking?_

In the room I'd somehow stumbled into stood three people. I should've turned tail and ran, but my mind was starting to lose some common sense by this point. Nico di Angelo knew practically everything, maybe he'd seen something relating to Dakota's death. But Dakota was starting to slip from my mind.

Arellano glared at me, but it turned into a smile when she saw the drink in my hand. At this point, I should've definitely legged it.

Octavian was glaring at me, which was nothing new. The dude hated everyone, but me especially because I'd climbed the ranks in the Half Bloods so quickly, while he was stuck in a self-proclaimed role that no one actually gave a shit about in SPQR. I watched as Arellano leaned over to whisper something to him, and his scowl quickly turned into a smirk.

I took another casual sip from my drink. Arellano beckoned me over, a grin lighting her face.

If I went over there, I'd be in serious trouble. I would be outnumbered, with no easy escape route, and nothing good was going to come out of it. But...I _wanted_ to get in trouble. I knew I shouldn't, but I so desperately wanted to. It was the wrong decision, but it would allow me an escape.

Besides, Percy Jackson always made bad decisions. What was one more to the mix?

So I headed straight for them, not pausing to think it over again. Nico looked slightly uncomfortable, but Octavian muttered something to him and he immediately straightened, his eyes narrowing at me.

"Hey, there," Arellano said, taking a step closer to me. I knew what she was doing. But I didn't try to stop her. I'd spent so much time building a reputation for myself, so why not finally embrace it? I took another swig from my can, then another, until I'd finished it. "Let Octavian take that for you." Octavian looked chagrined, but he grabbed my now empty can and gestured to Nico, motioning towards the door. They both left. Arellano took the opportunity to place her hand on my chest and smile up at me.

"You know, I don't really think you killed Dakota. Besides, if I told anyone it was you, I wouldn't be able to do _this_." She tugged on my jacket and pulled me closer to her. I had to give it to her, she was a good actress. Too bad I was a better one. I leaned my head back as she moved to connect our lips. She narrowed her eyes at me, obviously wondering why I wasn't living up to who I was supposed to be. I smirked at her and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"I know it must be incredibly hard for you to act like you want me, so why don't we pretend I'm the one that's all over you?" I suggested. The look on her face was priceless, but before she could respond I backed us up against the wall and pressed my mouth to hers.

Unfortunately, since I'd only had one drink, I was still mostly sober and would probably still remember this in the morning. But my point is, I knew that her hands were roaming because she wanted to make sure I was disarmed. I knew her grip on me was so tight because that way, I couldn't get away. I knew all of this, but I kept kissing her, because I didn't want to have to think about that.

At some point, Octavian reentered, but Nico wasn't with him. He handed me a drink that had already been opened, and I took it. Before I raised it to my lips, I sniffed it. That makes it sound weird, but it was to test it, okay? Octavian and Arellano eyed me nervously, waiting for my reaction. I knew that Octavian had tampered with it. But I still drank it, winking at them conspiratorially, as if I was a part of whatever the hell their plan was. I glanced over to the door and saw a tall figure enter the room, and my eyes hardened. Why did Castellan choose _now_ to show up?

Arellano coughed pointedly, catching my attention. "I'm going to go wash my mouth out. Goodbye." I paused, drink halfway to my mouth. She was leaving. Was that because Luke and Octavian's plan was so awful that she didn't want to be there for it? She wanted to leave now before she could convince herself the plan was stupid?

That was dumb. I was just being paranoid.

I should've pursued the thought, but I didn't. Instead I raised the can to my lips and drank. Whatever it was they'd put in it, it was working fast. I could already feel my alertness fading, my mind shutting down. It wouldn't be enough to make me pass out, however, which I guessed was good. Though I suppose it didn't really matter. Luke murmured something to Octavian and he nodded tightly, following after Arellano.

"So, Jackson, now that they're gone," Luke began conversationally. "I'd like to let you know that yeah, I'm the one who killed Dakota. I also took care of your little friend Annabeth's mother. Unfortunately, you aren't going to remember this tomorrow, which is such a _pity._ Guess that means you'll be ending up in jail." What Luke didn't realize was that the new drink I'd been given hadn't fully kicked in yet, and I probably _would_ remember. But I didn't say anything.

All of a sudden, my vision blurred and random thoughts began pouring into my brain. Oh, shit.

Remember how I mentioned that anything over one drink was enough to get me hammered? Yeah.

When Luke held out a third drink, I had no qualms whatsoever about taking it.

 **Annabeth's POV**

Over the time I'd been in the Half Bloods, I'd only really become on friendly terms with two people. One, obviously, was Percy, while the other was Benvenuti. She was pretty funny and didn't tolerate shit from anyone, not even Dionysus. Though not many people really respected him anyway, seeing as he was drunk half of the time.

We weren't friendly enough to send random text messages to each other, however, so when my phone rang and it was her number on the screen, you can understand my confusion.

"What's up?" Something must've happened for her to have called me, so there was no point exchanging pleasantries. She seemed to agree.

"Tantalus wants you in Central Park, right now. Don't ask why, he didn't explain."

"Why didn't he call me himself, then?"

"Apparently you were _more likely to_ _go_ if it was me who called. I stopped trying to understand him years ago," she replied, and I stifled a snort.

"Well, thanks. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, or something."

"Or something." Why did Tantalus want me in Central Park at - I checked the time on my phone - one in the morning? He was lucky I was still even awake. I'd been trying to go to sleep for the past three hours, but the nagging feeling hadn't left and I had instead spent those hours worrying that I'd forgotten something.

I grabbed a raincoat (I wasn't going to chance the weather after how awful it had been this afternoon) and headed out into the busy streets of New York, gesturing for a cab.

The great thing about New York is that the taxi drivers won't question you if you ask them to take you to Central Park at one a.m. They merely take your money and drive you there, no questions asked.

"Tantalus?" I called, hoping that he was somewhere nearby and that he'd hear me. No luck. I sighed loudly and pushed my hands further in my coat pockets, beginning to walk into the more secluded part of the park, which was mostly likely where he'd be. It was mostly silent, except for the occasional yell. Why did Tantalus choose now of all times that he wanted to talk to me? And at Central Park? What was with that?

"Chase!" I jumped, which drew loud laughter from Tantalus. "Someone's antsy."

"It's one in the morning, Tantalus. Why am I here?"

"Oh, well you see, I summoned someone else, too. I wanted to talk to the both of you away from prying ears." It was dark, but I could make out his face just fine because of the many street lamps about ten yards away. He was grinning, which concerned me slightly. "As you can see, he's late, so we'll have to wait until he arrives."

"Why do I get the feeling I know who this 'he' is?" I muttered to myself. Tantalus heard me.

"Of course you do! What other boy do you get associated with frequently?" He asked chirpily. How could he even be so happy this early in the morning? It was ridiculous.

"Is that all people think of when they see me?" I questioned, partly annoyed and partly genuinely curious.

Tantalus rolled his eyes. "Um, yes! Gods, Chase, you're so dense sometimes."

"Yeah, _I'm_ the dense one." He pretended not to hear me. The seconds dragged on, turning into minutes in which neither of us spoke. It was almost awkward, but I wasn't going to be the one to break the silence between us, especially since he'd called the meeting.

"Nice weather, isn't it?" I shot him a disbelieving glance before rolling my eyes. It was freezing and even though it had stopped raining, there were a few faint drops that I could feel every ten seconds or so. It wasn't a night that I'd generally be out of the house, and if this was any place other than New York, the streets would be empty. As it was, I'd barely seen any other people since I'd arrived. For some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that that wasn't a coincidence.

"You suck at small talk."

Tantalus sighed irritably, flapping one of his hands in disregard. "At least I tried. What would you prefer instead of small talk? Silence?"

"Yes, actually." He didn't bother replying, instead grunting and muttering something to himself under his breath. I cracked a tiny grin. I remembered how at the dance, all those months ago, I'd talked to who I now knew to be Percy and he told me how he wasn't good at small talk. Or big talk, if I recalled correctly. My train of thought was interrupted, however, almost as soon as it had started.

"We areeee the chammmmpiiioonnns, myy frieeeeends!" My head snapped up at the sudden noise. I recognized the voice, but the person was too far away for me to properly make it out.

"Oh my gods, do you ever _shut up?_ " That voice was familiar, too.

Tantalus had noticed them too, apparently. "Oh jeez, I need to hire better personnel." I was about to ask what he meant when the two people stepped underneath a street light. I could now make out their figures, and they were both tall. Well, I assumed so. One of them was heavily leaning on the other while it looked like the second person was struggling to hold the first up. My eyes narrowed as I tried to match the body to the name. I _knew_ both of them.

"What do you mean, better personnel?" I questioned, my gaze still fixed on the figures who were definitely coming this way.

"Oh, well you see, I had to have help getting both of you here, because otherwise the plan wouldn't work out."

That triggered my alarm bells. "Plan?"

He smiled indulgently. "You'll see. For all you know, I could be playing matchmaker." He paused, tilting his head to the side. "Actually, I like the sound of that, I could-"

"Tantalus," I interrupted, finally looking over at him. "I'm not an idiot. Why would you even play matchmaker for Percy and I? You hate us both-"

"Exactly why, Chase dear!"

"-and I know better than to stick around if you're just planning some sort of-" I was cut off yet again, but not by Tantalus.

"Gods, Tantalus. Next time I want more money." I froze, not wanting to turn around. But I had to, didn't I? After all, I could end up with a knife in my back if I didn't. Slowly, oh so slowly, I spun. And found myself staring at the last person I ever thought would be here.

"Luke...why are you here?" I asked the boy in question, my voice quiet.

The blond boy grinned at me, something I once found attractive but now saw only as feral. "Hey, Annie. It's been a while."

"Shu-" I did a double take as I took in the inebriated teen hanging off of Luke's shoulder. "Oh my gods, _Percy?_ "

"Hi An-anna-abet..." Percy frowned down at the ground as he struggled to say my name. Then his eyes brightened and he lifted his head, a grin plastered on his face. "Annabeth!"

"Oh, jeez," I muttered, glaring at Luke. "What did you _do_ to him?"

He shrugged innocently, as if nothing was wrong at all. "Hey, I didn't make him take the drink. Well, he took the first two by himself. I just helped him along for the third and forth." So Percy was drunk. Tantalus had hired Luke to...what, exactly? Intoxicate him and then bring him along?

"Tantalus, why are we here?" My words were cautious, uneasy. I knew that something was about to go horribly wrong.

"Because!" He yelled, his voice sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet atmosphere. He pointed a finger at Percy, who was standing a few feet away from Luke. That was progress, at least. " _He_ always gets to override my opinions! I'm supposed to be Dionysus' most trusted assistant, and I've been in the business _far_ longer than that dirtbag, but then _he_ comes along and outranks me in three years!"

"You sound like a toddler," I observed. "You're not serious, right? But you haven't answered my question yet."

"I want _revenge_ , Chase! And why not harm his little blonde girlfriend for bonus points?" He raved, mouth stretching into a grotesque grin. He was beginning to sound like a lunatic.

I gaped at him, incredulity written clear on my face. "You're not five, Tantalus. You need some serious help, you know that?"

"Why do you even like him? He uses people to get what he wants and he doesn't care about who gets hurt as a result." He seemed to genuinely want to hear my answer. I glanced over at Percy, decided that he wouldn't remember anything in the morning, and met Tantalus' gaze front on.

"That's only a facade. I like him because he's _real_ , Tantalus. And yeah, he acts like someone he's not when he's in public view, but that's only to protect the people he cares about. He's been through so much shit and yet he hasn't given up, even though he's come close. And _you_ aren't helping by putting him in this situation, especially when he's drunk!" I finished angrily, aiming my words at both him and Luke. The former raised his eyebrows at me.

"Maybe I should've followed up the matchmaking business." That was all he took out of that? Was he for real?

"Well, Tantalus, I brought him here, so where's my money?" Luke asked, staring calmly at Tantalus, who faltered for a second. "You don't have it, do you?"

"Well, um, I was going to give it to you later-"

"Bullshit," Luke interrupted, his voice hard. "You were never going to pay me, were you?"

"Uh, well, you see..."

"Wow," Luke mumbled, shaking his head. "You're lucky I hate these two, or else your plan would have gone to waste."

"Wha-what do you mean, Castellan?" Tantalus demanded, trying to sound authoritative. It didn't work, and I picked up on the stutter in his tone.

The burning feeling in my gut intensified. Oh gods, I had a bad feeling about this.

That feeling quadrupled when Luke pulled out a gun and shot Tantalus in the head.

 **Another cliffhanger, I know, I'm evil. But I promise you won't have to wait two months for the next chapter. Scout's honor.**

 **Reviewer Replies:**

 **1quintisfan - I'm glad you liked the ending, it was kinda an impulsive thing that I ended up really liking. And don't worry, I'm scatter brained all the time and more than what is probably healthy**

 **Guest - Right now! I swear on the Styx the next one won't be too long of a wait...promise**

 **india - Hopefully this suffices, and it's more than what I normally write, so double win, right?**

 **I've become way more emotionally invested in this story than what I was at the start, and I'm feeling pumped to get the next chapter written, so keep your eyes open for new notifications because it might actually be this story for once!**

 **Until next time,**

 **HV**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N**

 **Another quick update, woo! I feel like I could have written this chapter better, but I'm not sure how I'd do that, so here it is. I might edit it in a week or so if there's anything majorly wrong, but otherwise I think it's fine. So without further ado,**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Annabeth's POV**

I had no words for the scene unraveling before me.

This might come as a shock, but I'd never seen anyone murdered before. And Luke had just shot him so easily, and the gun had appeared from nowhere. And now I was alone with my drunk sorta-best-but-it-was-complicated friend and my ex who just so happened to hate my guts, who _also_ happened to have a gun. Wonderful.

"So, Annabeth, you got a plan to get out of this one?" Luke asked me casually as he aimed the gun at my chest, inspecting his nails with his other hand. "You've got time." Time. That was the one thing I did have. Though I wasn't sure just how much yet, because Luke could pull that trigger at any moment, but I knew that he wouldn't kill me before chewing me out for something. That was just how he worked. He liked everyone to know his grand plans.

"Luke..." Movement from behind him caught my attention, and I subtly shifted my gaze. Percy had dropped onto his knees, his hands clutching at his head. How long had he being drinking? Maybe he was beginning to sober up. I didn't have a clue, really, seeing as I'd never been completely wasted before. "Why did you kill Tantalus?"

"Because he was a loose end, Chase," he replied, grinning at me. "You've never seen someone killed before, have you?" I had to play for time, because maybe Percy would snap out of it and realize what was going on. But I doubted it. So really, I was just prolonging my probable demise.

"How would you know that, Luke?"

"Because I know you, Annabeth. Just like I know that you're stalling. For what, though, I have no clue," he answered, glancing around theatrically with a hand on his forehead. "Romeo, oh Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?" He smirked and turned to look at Percy, who had given up on singing Queen and now looked as if he was trying to hold his head together so it didn't explode. "Some savior he is."

"And who's responsible for him being in that state, Luke?" I asked, regaining some confidence now that his grip on the gun had loosened. I was calculating how long it had taken for Luke to drag Percy down here. At least an hour. And if Percy had had four drinks, he'd need about four hours to get mostly back to normal, probably. It had probably been two, which was only half that time, but was that enough for him to snap back to reality? He struck me as the type who drank pretty often, so surely he'd be pretty good at holding his alcohol?

He was now laying on the ground, barely moving. He was still holding his head, but it looked like the amount of pain he was in had significantly decreased. Maybe the gunshot of Luke killing Tantalus had given him a jump start.

"Oh, he sought out the first drink. Though the cans weren't all that big. Maybe I should've given him an extra two."

"Why would he be stupid enough to go and get drunk at-" I swore that my heart missed a beat with my next realization. He'd probably wanted to get drunk because of what I'd sprung on him earlier! Oh my gods, was it indirectly my fault that he had ended up with Luke?

"Remember something interesting, Chase?"

"No, I'm...I'm good," I said, trying to keep my face blank. I didn't need to give him anything else to hold against me.

"Really? You seem...distant," Luke observed. The gun was now at his side, but there was a knife in his other hand. Where was he getting of all his weapons from?

I backed up, but Luke was advancing way too quickly. I couldn't turn and run, because then it would be that much easier to put a bullet through my back. "Really. I'm totally fine. Honestly."

"You know, you never apologized for punching me that time," he noted, examining his knife carefully. I mentally cursed myself for not bringing a weapon with me. How dumb was I?

"I wasn't intending to-" My retort was cut off by him lunging forward and tackling me to the ground, dropping the gun in the process. But my mind quickly forgot the gun when he drove the knife into my shoulder. I screamed in pain, and a sadistic grin crept across his face.

"Did you know I nearly killed Jackson once?" I tried to knee him in the stomach, but he rolled to the side and pinned my legs down. "Apparently he died five times in one minute. Something like that. You'll have to get him to tell you the story sometime."

"Get... _off_...me!" I grunted, but I was losing strength fast. My vision blurred as Luke's fist connected with my jaw. I felt my consciousness fading. I couldn't handle this. I closed my eyes and awaited the next blow, which was sure to knock me out. But it never came.

"Hey, Castellan!" I reacted before the surprise could kick in, and rolled away from Luke. I promptly threw up once I was out of his grip, dry heaving after I'd emptied the contents of my stomach. The grass was cool underneath me, and I pressed my hands to my face to try and ease the pain. It didn't have much effect, but it was better than nothing, I supposed.

"Jackson?" Luke asked, his cool demeanor cracking for a second. "You can't hold your alcohol, why aren't you passed out yet?"

I steadied myself, using my hands to prop me up, and glanced up at Percy. I couldn't believe it. He was standing, albeit shakily. If I hadn't just been punched in the face and wasn't so focused on not passing out, I might've been slightly impressed at his ability to recover so quickly. But then I noticed what he had clutched in his hands.

"Are you going to shoot me?" Luke questioned, humor creeping into his voice. "Please, Jackson. You're still drunk. You won't actually hit me."

"Shut up," Percy replied, his voice wavering. His grip on the gun was so tight that his knuckles had turned white, and his hands were quaking uncontrollably. He must have picked it up while Luke was attacking me. "You don't...you don't know me."

"Oh, don't I? I know that you've never killed a person in your entire life. I know you won't be able to handle pulling that trigger."

At this point, I let my curiosity get the better of me and decided to join the conversation. "But he killed Dakota." Everyone knew that. Arellano had seen him at the scene of the crime, and no one else was around. It _had_ to be him.

Luke let out a loose laugh, which I thought was verging on sounding maniacal. "You actually believed the rumors about that? No way, Chase, he'd never be able to stomach it! Jackson isn't a killer."

"But if he didn't..." I let myself trail off, my eyebrows furrowing. If Percy hadn't killed Dakota, that eliminated all of the possible suspects. Who else could it have been? Arellano had been the only other one on the scene at the time, but she wouldn't kill her own friend.

"Who do you think?"

My eyes widened as the realization hit me. "You... _you_ killed him!"

"Dakota's not the only one he killed," Percy muttered, his tone uncharacteristically sullen. It was bizarre, seeing him like this. It was as if all the life, all the energy, had been sucked out of him.

"What do you mean?" I demanded, but I wasn't looking at Percy any more. My focus was solely on Luke. That, in hindsight, was a bad idea. It was an even worse idea on Luke's part when he sat up and turned to face me, his back to Percy.

"He's just trying to mess with you, Annabeth. You didn't believe he truly wanted to be your friend, did you? No way. He's only using you." This must've been Luke's attempt of trying to turn me against Percy, but I had no idea why he'd want me on his side. Whatever his reasons, it wasn't going to work.

I swallowed, narrowing my eyes. "He wouldn't do that. Like he said before, you don't know him-"

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong-" He was interrupted by a gunshot. My eyes jerked up to Percy, who was staring at the gun he was holding with a mixture of shock and awe. He'd been aiming at the ground, but the shot had been enough for Luke to actually consider the idea of Percy shooting him. "You wouldn't dare, Jackson."

"Don't lie to her," he whispered in reply.

Luke's eyebrow shot up. "Aw, how cute!" He turned to grin at me. "Isn't lover boy here just so adorable, Chase?"

"I _will_ shoot you," Percy continued, curling his fingers around the trigger.

"Percy, don't kill him, you'll hate yourself," I told him urgently. "Even if he deserves it."

"He...he hurt you," he answered quietly. I closed my eyes, braced myself, then slowly stood up. I began taking small steps towards him. When I spoke, I made sure my voice was calm and even.

"Percy, murder messes with your mind. You don't want to be on the wrong side of it."

He stumbled, his body clearly not completely free of the alcohol. I watched anxiously as his fingers fumbled the gun. When he looked up and his eyes met mine, I felt my heart ache. His normally guarded and confident gaze was now replaced with a collection of emotions, all conflicting inside of him. It was clear to see how torn up he was feeling. But I was determined not to let him stoop to murder. Now I knew that Luke was the one who had really killed Dakota, I was questioning how I'd ever thought Percy was capable of murder. He just wasn't the type.

"You'll regret it. Percy, you don't want to kill him."

"I-" He began, the single syllable sounding broken. "I don't..."

"Come on, listen to your friend. You don't want me dead, do you?" I glared at Luke with all of the hatred I could muster. It only got worse when he kept speaking. "You probably wouldn't even care that you took a life, would you? You'd just boast about how you _finally_ killed Luke Castellan so you'd seem more-"

 _BANG_

One minute, Luke was running his mouth. The next, he was gaping open-mouthed at the bullet embedded in his arm. I knew it wouldn't kill him. But it would hurt like hell, which I thought that he deserved. Maybe it would even get infected. I hoped it would.

"You...you actually shot me," Luke said hollowly, seemingly not able to comprehend the fresh bullet wound in his flesh. Percy stared down at his hands, and with a jolt he dropped the gun, as if it was burning him. His eyes were wild as they rose to meet mine, and I tried for a smile. It came out as a grimace instead.

"Shit, I...I really shot him." Those were his last words before he passed out.

"You know, he's really played into my hands tonight," Luke said conversationally. My head whipped in his direction. "Oh, don't worry, Chase. You'll find out what I mean soon enough."

"You won't get away with this." Those were _my_ last words before I joined Percy in the land of unconsciousness.

 **Percy's POV**

"Why were you at the crime scene this morning?"

"I was drunk, I don't know how I got there," I replied, careful to keep my voice neutral.

"Not drunk enough to not pull the trigger, apparently." I didn't reply to the obvious jibe. I didn't need to get myself into any more trouble. "Underage drinking, too." Did this guy not understand that it wasn't me? Why was everyone blaming me for everything these days? I already had a shit load of things piled onto my plate, and I didn't need this guy insulting me.

 **FLASHBACK**

As soon as I opened my eyes, it felt like they were being attacked by blinding white light. I quickly shut them again, instead choosing to address why my head felt like it was being repeatedly hit with a hammer. And if that wasn't enough, my mind was assaulted with a flood of memories from the previous night.

 _I wanted to get in trouble. I knew I shouldn't, but I so desperately wanted to. It was the wrong decision, but it would allow me an escape._

 _Besides, Percy Jackson always made bad decisions. What was one more to the mix?_

 _..._

 _"I know it must be incredibly hard for you to act like you want me, so why don't we pretend I'm the one that's all over you?" I suggested. The look on her face was priceless, but before she could respond I backed us up against the wall and pressed my mouth to hers._

 _..._

 _"So, Jackson, now that they're gone," Luke began conversationally. "I'd like to let you know that yeah, I'm the one who killed Dakota. I also took care of your little friend Annabeth's mother. Unfortunately, you aren't going to remember this tomorrow, which is such a pity. Guess that means you'll be ending up in jail."_

After that, well, I didn't remember all that much. Until I got to the park.

 _"Please, Jackson. You're still drunk. You won't actually hit me."_

 _"Shut up," I replied, my voice wavering. My grip on the gun was so tight that my knuckles had turned white, and my hands were quaking uncontrollably. "You don't...you don't know me."_

 _"Oh, don't I? I know that you've never killed a person in your entire life. I know you won't be able to handle pulling that trigger."_

 _..._

 _"I-" My mouth couldn't move to form the words I wanted to say. "I don't..." I didn't want to kill him. Hell, he deserved it. But I couldn't bring myself to kill him._

 _"Come on, listen to your friend. You don't want me dead, do you?" His words sparked anger inside of me, and then my fingers were clutching at the trigger. "You probably wouldn't even care that you took a life, would you? You'd just boast about how you finally killed Luke Castellan so you'd seem more-" I didn't want to hear him any more. He didn't know me. He pretended like he did, but he didn't. I was the only one who knew myself. Before I could talk myself out of it, I pulled the trigger._

Once my eyes had finally adjusted to the light, I blinked them open and examined my surroundings, not expecting there to be anything interesting. That's where I was wrong.

I sat up slowly, making sure not to move my head too much. I was certain that the headache would be the worst thing to come out of this morning. But I didn't anticipate the cops that showed up within the next five minutes. And when they saw me alone, with Tantalus' body, a mix of his and Annabeth's blood and a gun, well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened next.

 **END FLASHBACK**

So that was why I was now in a questioning room down at the police station, with the world's worst cop interrogating me. Honestly, it was like Ares _wanted_ to piss me off. Maybe that was his tactic: bug me until I attacked him, and then arrest me for trying to harm a cop. To be honest, it was working.

"I swear I didn't do it. I must've been framed," I told him, trying not to resort to begging. Even though the dude annoyed me, he could also get me locked up for life as soon as I turned eighteen. And, like most people, I didn't really fancy my chances in jail. Especially when I didn't even commit the crime.

"Yeah, that's what they all say. Why're you any different?"

I sucked in a deep breath. "I'm not any different to at least a third of those people. Wanna know why? Because chances are, some of them were framed, too."

"Listen, kid," Ares began, leaning his elbows on the desk between us. "Your fingerprints were on the gun. You have a criminal record. You were the only one at the crime scene, for god's sake! So why don't you stop lying and start confessing?"

"Because it wasn't-" I felt my blood run cold when I saw an all too familiar blonde girl being led out of another interrogation room. "Why is she here?"

He didn't even bother turning around. "That would be Annabeth Chase. She was found unconscious near the crime scene, and we have reason to believe that she may have been an accomplice." Oh, gods. They thought _Annabeth_ had helped to kill Tantalus? They couldn't be more wrong!

"I've already _told_ you, it was _Luke Castellan_ that killed him!" I exclaimed, my voice rising several octaves. Ares merely stared at me, unimpressed. "Why don't you believe me?"

"All evidence points to you, Jackson. Why _should_ I believe you?" He had me stumped. He had no reason to believe a seventeen year old delinquent with a past criminal record. But seriously, wasn't there that rule that you had to check out all possible options? Especially when you were dealing with a murder?

"Can I...can I talk to her? I want to see if she's okay," I asked, trying to peer around Ares to try and catch a glimpse of the blonde. After denying me several times, it must've become apparent to him that I wasn't going to answer anything else until I talked to her.

"Whatever, Jackson. Go ahead." I practically leaped out of my seat and rushed out of the room, not wanting to miss her. Then I realized that that was stupid, because why would they let her go when she was a possible murder suspect?

She was sitting on one of the beat up armchairs, staring off into the distance. She blinked and jumped a bit when I waved my hand over her face. "Earth to Chase?"

"Shit, Percy, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I'd be more likely to kill you than give you heart palpitations, according to that guy," I answered, jerking a thumb in the direction of Ares' office. "And even if I didn't kill him, I'm still gonna get fined for underage drinking in _a public vicinity_."

Annabeth frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. I'd come to learn that this was her deep thinking face. "I told them that it was Luke, that he'd framed you. I'm not sure if they believed me or not. It looks like your officer and mine are talking, so hopefully they realize that we're both telling the truth."

"Dude said he didn't believe me cause I already have a criminal record. Luke's is triple mine, at least."

"You've got a criminal record?"

"What, you don't?" I asked jokingly. "But, uh, yeah. For stealing...I dunno, actually. Can't remember. Arson, too, I think. Only for like two things, though."

"Two things is still worse than nothing," she replied wisely.

I raised my eyebrows at her. "And you've never been caught of anything?"

"No, actually, I _haven't-_ " Our conversation was interrupted by Ares storming over to us, an irritable scowl plastered on his face. I was kind of glad he'd interrupted, because I didn't really like talking about my criminal history. I'd committed more than two offenses, but most of those had been before I turned sixteen. And your record gets destroyed when you turn sixteen, so the list was pretty small considering. But it was still a stain on my reputation, which wouldn't help me in the future. I mean, who wants to hire a guy that's been fined for vandalism? Nobody, that's who.

"You two are in luck. We just got a tip off about how they witnessed the murder, and that it was neither of you. So you're free to go." Annabeth glanced at me curiously, confusion written across her features. Of course, I knew who it was on the phone, and I'd been expecting the call all morning. To be honest, I was surprised at how late it came. But I made sure to squint my eyes to make it appear like I was clueless. "Did you say a Luke Castellan was also at the scene?"

"A Luke Castellan _murdered_ Tantalus," Annabeth interjected, her voice exasperated. "We've told you this, why aren't you getting it?"

Ares didn't reply, and instead opted to ignore us completely and walk over to the officer who had been interviewing Annabeth. I arched my eyebrows at his retreating back. "Nice guy, isn't he?"

"Oh, very," she replied with fake cheer. Then she turned to face me, an impatient look on her face. "Now spill."

"What?" I asked, glancing at her from the corner of my eye.

"You didn't seem very surprised when he told us that someone had called in."

"Oh right, that," I said dismissively. "That'd be Dionysus. Now Tantalus is dead, I'll have to do even more shit for him, and I can't do anything if I'm in jail."

"For a minute there, I thought you were going to say he cared about you."

A sarcastic grin spread across my face. "Yeah, well. He doesn't."

"Hey, maybe he does, deep down," she offered, obviously taking in my bitter expression. "Just really _really_ deep down." We stood in silence for a few moments, neither of us wanting or knowing how to break the silence. It was absurd, two teenagers like us should be hanging out with our friends on the weekend, not being interrogated by the police. For once, I just wanted to feel _normal._ It was so hard to believe I gave up normalcy willingly three years ago. It was an impulsive decision, which I'd become infamous for, apparently. And I was about to make another one.

"Let's go out," I said suddenly, turning to face Annabeth.

She stared at me. "Excuse me?"

A waved a hand dismissively. "Not like that. Let's go out and do something _normal._ You know, go to a cafe, the park, whatever normal seventeen year olds do."

"Percy, I think we both gave up on normalcy a while ago."

"Exactly!" I exclaimed, my hands flailing about at my sides. "That's exactly why we should, Chase. What else were you gonna do today?"

She mulled that over for a second. "Find out where I'm meant to stay now my mother's dead?"

"Are you saying you'd rather talk real estate than hang out with me?"

"No, but it's more important because-"

"You know what's most important?" I said loudly, cutting her off. "Your mental health. And frankly, you can't go through the past weeks we've been through without needing a break. Besides, you can just stay with me or whatever. My mom loves you, and we've got an extra room."

"But I have to-you know what? Fine. What's the plan?"

I grinned. "Who said anything about plans? Live a little, Annabeth. Let's just...walk around, see where it takes us. Okay?"

"Okay," she replied, hesitantly at first. But then she shook her head, tilted her chin up and met my eyes. "Let's do it."

 **I don't have much to say, so straight onto Reviewer Replies:**

 **Guest - Thank you for answering the questions! I just realized that I've stopped doing them. Oh well**

 **Cinder Luna - It's really cool you're recommending it to your friends. I'm so glad you like it!**

 **Dmitri Jinx - That's a pretty good idea. When I've only got time to write half a chapter I think I'll do that. Generally I write one chapter in a two hour session or something and just post it straight off the bat. Also super happy you love it!**

 **1quintisfan - I haven't got any hate about my cliffhangers, which I really appreciate because I know it can be a pain. I'm stoked you like them, though**

 **That's all for now, folks. Until next time,**

 **HV**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N**

 **This may be short and it _may_ be a filler, but it's also just really light (mostly) and kinda fun. So hopefully you guys like it! I didn't really proofread either, so excuse any mistakes or cringey sentences.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Percy's POV**

I'm going to tell you a secret: even though I'd lived in New York my entire life, I'd never been to the Metropolitan.

When I divulged this to Annabeth, she'd frozen in place and stared at me for a solid minute, unmoving. Then she'd proceeded to grab my arm and drag me around until we could find a taxi to take us there, all while lecturing me on the importance of _art history_ and _modern culture._ If I was being completely honest, I had no idea what half of the stuff she'd been spouting was. But I didn't interrupt her, because she was clearly passionate about the topic and I figured that she hadn't had a chance to ramble in a while.

So that was how we spent the rest of the morning, me following Annabeth around the Met and her explaining the importance of each exhibition. And even though I never thought I'd actually enjoy going to an art museum, it was pretty fun. I had to give it to her, Annabeth was a great tour guide. I mean, if she could keep _me_ entertained, then surely that'd go for almost anyone.

I tuned in to her explanation of the artwork in front of us and raised a hand, just like I would've done in class. If I actually paid attention in class, that is.

"You're saying this is historic? It's literally a bunch of stick figures and paint splatters," I pointed out, squinting at the picture in front of me. Annabeth elbowed me, stifling a laugh.

"You can't say that! Besides, stick figures back then were all the rage."

"Well, people back then were dumb."

She scoffed. "Please, I bet you can't draw any better."

"Hey, I never said I could. I'm just saying, these people are _actually_ artists. They should be able to draw more than stick figures."

"I think it's supposed to be interpretative," she mused, tilting her head to examine the painting.

I pointed to one of the red paint blobs. "Well, I interpret that to be a blood stain. And that guy over there killed the other guy."

"You really want to talk about murder right now?" That was a fair point. I'd just been released from the police station for being a possible murder suspect, I didn't need to bring the subject up again.

"Oops," I said sheepishly. "I think I've spent too much time in this place. So hows about we go do something else?" Annabeth opened her mouth to reply, probably about how I needed more exposure to artistic culture, but her stomach grumbled loudly before she could say anything. I smirked at her in triumph and she scowled.

"Food?"

"Food."

...

We ended up in a cafe pretty close to the Met, so we didn't have to walk all that far. It was a nice place, and I was pretty excited to order my blue raspberry milkshake, but something in the corner of the room caught my eye. Or rather, _someone_ caught my eye. Then he glanced up, as if sensing my stare, and his eyes widened. I instantly looked away, knowing that if Annabeth saw them, we'd have to join them. And that would be _hella_ awkward. I blinked, then smiled at the woman behind the counter.

"Hi, can I get a blue raspberry milkshake and...what are you getting?" I asked Annabeth, hoping to keep her attention me and not on her friends who were probably glaring at me, wishing that I would drop dead.

"A chicken Caesar salad." My nose crinkled at the word 'salad'.

"I'll just get the drink," I said. I wasn't very hungry, despite not having eaten since...when _had_ I last eaten? Lunch or breakfast yesterday. Annabeth ordered and then we had to choose a table. I pointed to the back on the opposite side of the room from the others. "What about over there-?"

"Hey, Annabeth! Over here!" Shit.

"Piper? Jason? I feel like I haven't seen you guys in ages! Come on, Percy," she exclaimed, grabbing my arm and pulling me over to the table. As soon as Jason and Piper's eyes fell on me, they narrowed into glares. I waved exaggeratedly before sitting down beside Annabeth.

"I heard about your mom, Annabeth, it was in the paper this morning, and I'm so sorry!" Piper gushed, giving her friend a sympathetic smile. "Are you going to live with your dad now?" Annabeth instantly tensed up, and I glanced at her curiously. I didn't recall her ever mentioning her father.

"Um, I don't know. I've only got one year left of high school before I'll be going to college, so I'll probably just find something temporary. After all, I don't want to have to move away for my senior year," she answered, clasping her hands together nervously.

"Well, you can always stay with me," Piper told her reassuringly. "It gets lonely in the mansion, sometimes."

Annabeth nodded, then seemed to realize something. "You two are here together...are you on a date?"

They both blushed, but Jason, who had been quiet since I'd sat down, took this opportunity to speak up. "You and Jackson are here together, are _you_ on a date?"

Annabeth rose her hands in surrender. "Okay, fine. So you're not on a date." I could've sworn her cheeks turned slightly red. But maybe it was my imagination.

"It's really nice to see you Annabeth, but-" Here it comes, the whole _why are you with him_ spiel. "-why are you with, um..." She stumbled over her words, clearly not sure what to call me.

"Percy," I told her. She looked at me in shock and I rolled my eyes. "My name. It's Percy."

"Right," she said. "Why are you with Percy?"

"Are you guys really going to get into that now?" Neither of the two replied. "I told you, we're friends."

"Is it really that hard to believe?" I asked, mainly directing the question at Jason. Piper I had no problem with, but the dude had fractured my arm out of spite. I kind of had a right to not like him.

"Yeah, it _kinda_ is. I don't want Annabeth hanging out with a murderer," Jason returned. I felt my features twist into an expression of anger.

"I didn't kill anyone, and the police can prove it."

"How can they-"

"Because," I said loudly, then dropped my voice so no one else in the cafe could hear. "We just got released from there this morning."

"We?" Piper asked, obviously concerned for her friend. I nodded at Annabeth, waiting for her to continue. She squinted up at me, an unreadable expression on her face, before sighing.

"Yeah, we. There was a... _thing_ last night involving us."

"What kind of thing?" Jason asked suspiciously.

Annabeth frowned for a second, thinking something over. "I'm so _sick_ of people thinking ill of Percy! So _what_ if he's my friend?" She slammed her hands on the table, causing the others to jump and me to wince.

I leaned over and whispered in her ear, making sure to keep my voice quiet. "Hey, don't do that. Your shoulder needs to heal."

Her eyes narrowed. "How do you know about that?"

"The cops aren't very good at hiding their case files," I shrugged, smirking at Jason's expression. "Don't look now, he's gonna tell you to stop hanging around a criminal."

It was at this point that the waitress decided to bring over my drink and Annabeth's salad. I actually laughed.

"Thanks," I told her, sliding the salad over to Annabeth and picking up my drink. She nodded quickly and practically ran away from our table. Maybe the tension was scaring her. I looked up to see the others staring at me. "What?"

"You're weird," Annabeth said, smiling in exasperation.

"What ever makes you say that?" I placed a hand on my chest, pretending to be offended. "I am most certainly not weird."

"Whatever, Seaweed Brain," she replied nonchalantly, trying to hide her smirk.

"Um, excuse me, I don't like being compared with a type of _cracker_ -"

"It was a lapse in judgment-"

"Which you're _still_ using, so clearly you don't think it's as bad as you say, Wise Girl," I finished, sending her a triumphant look. It was then that I remembered the people across the table from us, who were openly gaping. "Oh my gods, they're actually getting along! What ever is the world coming to?"

"Percy..." Annabeth said warningly. I ignored her.

"You know, I wanted to go sit over there and not bother you two, but you just _insisted_ on inviting us over, even though you _knew_ I was here. So don't start talking shit about me when it's your fault I'm here," I said irritably. "Ignore me if you want, but don't interrogate Annabeth. She's had enough going on in her life."

"How would you know-"

"Because I'm her _friend_!" I practically yelled. "Something which you're kind of sucking at being, right now."

"Guys, drop it," Annabeth said, her voice deadly quiet. But Jason wasn't paying much attention to her anymore.

"At least I've never beat her up for the fun of it."

"At least I trust her to make her own decisions."

"Guys, don't fight," Piper said, her voice pleading. We both ignored her.

"Who said I didn't?"

"Clearly you don't trust her judgment of me."

"That's because there is a _reason_ -"

I met his glare unflinchingly. "Which has obviously changed." He dropped his gaze and looked down at his food. But I didn't feel very victorious. I glanced to the side and saw that Annabeth had finished her salad. "C'mon, Chase, let's go."

"Why would she go with you?" Jason questioned, but it was quiet. We all still heard, though. But I didn't want to keep arguing with him, so I stayed silent.

"You have to accept that he's my friend, now," Annabeth said softly. "And Percy's right, you saw him, you didn't have to call us over. I'll see you both on Monday." With that she stood up and trudged out of the cafe, me following suit. I didn't dare look over my shoulder.

 **Annabeth's POV**

"Sorry for that. Today's supposed to be about, well, not that stuff," Percy said quietly as we walked down the sidewalk. I shrugged.

"It wasn't your fault."

"I don't want you to be mad at them because of me, either-"

"Percy!" He cut himself off abruptly. "It's fine. Let's just...do something else, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." I kept my eyes on the ground. "Wanna go see a movie?"

"What's on?"

"I don't really care," he replied, grinning. I stared up at him, shaking my head.

"You weren't kidding when you said you had no idea, were you?"

"Since when do I kid?" He returned. Maybe a movie would be good. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd been to see something at an actual theater. Was it two years ago? Three?

"Since right now. Where's the nearest theater?"

"Like, on the other side of the city."

"I...you know what? Why not?" I agreed finally.

"That's the spirit," he said cheerfully, holding out his arm. I stared at it. "What, did I grow another elbow or something?" He questioned, inspecting his arm curiously.

"We don't live in the 1900's. Nobody does that any more," I pointed out.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "I guess that makes me nobody, then."

"Whatever. Let's go, you dork," I said, looping my arm through his.

"So," he began conversationally. "What's your favorite color?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Yeah. I mean, I don't really know any of the basic stuff about you. I just know about all of the shitty stuff." Now that I thought about it, he was right. What did I know about Percy, except for the fact that he was in the Half Bloods and had a criminal record? It wasn't all that much.

"Grey," I answered automatically. It reminded me of my mom. "What about you?"

"Don't steal my questions!" He said accusingly. "Boring, by the way. Mine's blue. My mom used to make sure all of our food was blue."

"Really? Why was that?" I asked. It must have been a lot of effort for Sally to color every item of food they owned.

"I didn't wanna bring this up, but...my old step father, he was a bit of a dick, and him and my mom had this argument about food not being able to be blue. So she made a point of only making blue food after that."

We turned left to take a shortcut through a nearby park. I observed how green, how beautiful and colorful everything was. "That's...really cool of her to do that. My mom would never have bothered," I told him truthfully. "I mean, she was a good mom and all, and without her I wouldn't be half as smart as I am today, but she was...pretty hands off, I guess."

"That reminds me, where are you gonna be staying now? I heard Piper mention your dad before..." He trailed off, kicking a stray pebble that was in his path. I watched as it bounced ahead of us.

"He left mom when I was six. Last I heard he remarried, but we haven't spoken in ten years," I said, trying to make the words sound as casual as possible. "Jeez, how'd we get from colors to family issues?"

Percy cracked a grin. "Hey, I haven't talked to my real dad in ten years, either."

"Sally mentioned something about him being lost at sea? Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up..." I added apologetically.

"Oh yeah, you talked to her at the hospital. Gods, that's weird. And don't worry 'bout it. I'm not enough of an idiot to believe that he's only missing. I know he's dead."

"At least you always have hope that he might not be," I offered, not sure what else to say.

"Maybe," he said noncommittally. "It's too nice of a day to be talking about this kind of stuff."

I looked up at the sky, which was a brilliant shade of light blue. "It's nice, though. I mean, if you talk about it when it's storming, it just seems more...real. It's so easy to pretend it isn't when the weather's good, as superficial as it sounds."

"You make a good point."

"That's what you get for being on the debate team in sixth grade," I returned.

Percy stopped, turning to face me. "You were on the debate team? You know what, that doesn't even surprise me." I kept walking, waiting for him to catch up. When he did, I nudged him.

"Don't make fun. You had to choose an extracurricular that year, right? What'd you do?"

A wistful smile graced his features. "Swim team. I was good at it, too. I won a trophy for it."

"So why'd you stop?" I asked him.

"Sixth grade was when...ah, shit. Actually, that sums it up pretty well. Shit," he said again, as if I'd missed it the first time. I grinned hesitantly, not wanting to pry. "Let's just say I didn't want everyone else to see the scars." I didn't want to force him into saying anything else, so I used to silence to come up with something to say.

"Do you still like swimming?"

"Yeah. Something about the water...my dad loved the ocean, you know? Then he didn't come back from his boat trip and I've just had an affinity with it ever since. I haven't swum since...jeez, I can't even remember. It's been a while since I've been to the beach, too," he replied, running a hand through his hair. I watched him closely as he talked, and noticed that his eyes had glazed over slightly.

"You know, I've never actually been to the beach."

My confession was met with dead silence. Even the noises of traffic seemed to quiet. When Percy spoke, his words were so hushed I had to strain to hear them.

"What do you mean, you've _never been_?" I opened my mouth to reply, but he beat me to it. "Here you are chewing me out for never going to an art museum, but _you've_ never been to a _beach_? Oh my gods, Annabeth!"

"Sorry?" I offered, shrugging. He shook his head at me, muttering under his breath.

"I can't believe you've never been to a-hey, we're here!" I'd completely forgotten that we were going to see a movie and I almost laughed when I noticed the theater in front of us.

"Do we know what we're seeing?" I asked as I walked through the doors. Percy followed after me, squinting up at the list of possible contenders.

"Nope. I say we just ask for two tickets to whatever. Let it be a surprise."

"That's a horrible idea. So sure, why not?"

Percy tapped his head and grinned. "You're learning, Chase."

"I actually think my IQ is significantly decreasing, spending so much time with you."

"Rude!" I felt a smile creep onto my face as I waited for him to get the tickets. We'd agreed that I'd pay for lunch and he'd pay for the movie, because I definitely wasn't going to let him pay for all of it.

I'd actually had a really fun day today, despite the bad start. Normally I liked art museums, sure, but having Percy there making wisecracks at all the exhibits just made it that more interesting. And sure, I'd had an argument with some of my friends, but what teenager didn't? It just happened that the things I argued about were slightly different.

I blinked as a hand appeared in front of my face. "Earth to Chase?"

"Gods, you have to stop doing that," I told him as we headed into the movie.

"Whatever, Annabeth," he replied nasally, tossing his head. I shook my head in amusement and followed him down the aisle towards our seats.

"So, what are we seeing?"

"...I didn't actually ask. For all I know it could be a porno."

I hit his arm. "You better be joking."

"Hey, relax. The girl said it was some romance thing. Actually, she was kind of rambling about it. I wasn't listening, though."

"Aren't you a great person," I deadpanned. "Hey, it's starting!"

"Great observation," he muttered. I decided to ignore him.

The girl he'd talked to had been right, it was a romantic tragedy and while my attention was entirely focused on the screen, Percy had fallen asleep about halfway through. I only noticed this he let out a quiet snore, tearing my eyes from the movie.

"Percy," I whispered, poking his hand, which was rested on the arm of the chair between us. "Wake up. Percy." I had just poked him again when his fingers reached out and grabbed my own hand, nearly giving me a heart attack from shock. Once I had calmed down, I peered at him curiously, though he still seemed to be asleep.

"Five more minutes," he mumbled, and I felt a smile cross my features. He looked so peaceful that I didn't want to wake him up, so I didn't try and move his hand. Instead, I turned my own hand over so our palms were pressed together.

Besides, it actually felt kind of nice. But don't you dare tell him I said that.

...

I tossed an old shirt over my shoulder to where I was almost certain the _throw away_ pile was. I was sorting through all of my things, because I didn't want it to become this major thing which I knew it would if I procrastinated it. I had to move out soon anyway, because soon enough it would become apparent that no one was paying the bills any more. I was kind of surprised I hadn't already been kicked out, but then again, it was New York. There were probably far more urgent issues to deal with than people not paying taxes.

I had already sorted all of the pants that I was keeping into a suitcase, along with socks and shoes. Now I was up to shirts, and I was trying to get rid of a few. I didn't want to be hording a massive wardrobe, especially if I had to move to San Francisco with my dad.

I wasn't expecting anyone to show up, so when the doorbell rang at seven that evening you can understand my confusion. It gave me such a fright that I fell forward into my wardrobe, letting out a loud _oof_ when I hit the ground.

Hastily brushing off my clothes, I ran to get the door. I was expecting police, maybe, Social Services, hell, even someone from the hospital. I wasn't, however, expecting the smirking, raven haired teenage boy who stood in front of me.

"Did I just hear you fall over?" He asked, obviously trying to suppress snickers.

I gazed at him sourly. "Did you just come to my house to stalk me?"

"Oh honey, if I wanted to stalk you I wouldn't have rung the bell." I didn't waver. "Okay, fine. Chase, you have won a once in a lifetime offer! A full day and a half with me!"

"Oh wow, what a prize!" I said sarcastically. "Truly life changing!"

"Seriously, my mom and Paul are up at this cabin they own at Montauk and mom always tells me I can bring a friend but I never do because I don't _have_ friends...oh no don't look at me like that, it's not because I can't find any it's because I don't _want_ any...but I'm glad you're my friend! Yeah!" He blushed when he realized that he was rambling, then scratched the back of his neck. I watched him stutter with curious fascination. Normally he was so composed. "But, um, anyway, you said you'd never been to the beach so I asked her if I could bring you and she said yeah, so...do you wanna come? You don't have to!" He added quickly.

"Are your mom and Paul taking you up there?"

"They're already there, I'm driving, so there'd be no awkward conversations or anything," he explained, rubbing his neck. "They're coming back tomorrow morning but we can stay later, if you wanted. If you're coming, that is."

I _had_ wanted to go to the beach for ages. I also was in desperate need of a break, of a distraction. Besides, he was so adorable and floundering and just plain _awkward_ that I couldn't say no.

 _Did I actually just think he was_ adorable? _Since when have I ever called anyone adorable?_

"Yes, I'll come with you," I told him.

He nodded, ducking his head as he backed away from the door. "Don't worry 'bout it, I didn't really expect you to say yes anyway-" He cut himself off, his head jerking upwards again. "Wait, what?"

I rolled my eyes, but was unable to stop the grin from spreading across my face. "I said yes, Seaweed Brain."

"Oh thank gods," he muttered. "Paul would've teased me _so_ much if you said no."

"Why's that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because he always jokes about me having no social life."

"You do have a social life, you just don't have friends."

"That's what I say," he answered, sighing in exasperation. "The dude thinks I'm a hermit. Do I seem like a hermit to you?" I laughed at that.

"I'm just gonna go grab some things, okay?" I said as I began heading back into my apartment. "Anyway, you probably don't want him knowing what you get up to, am I right?"

"You always are."

"Damn straight," I called over my shoulder, and I heard him chuckle before I entered my bedroom. The remainder of my weekend was suddenly looking a lot more interesting than cleaning and pondering accommodation. That being said, my entire _life_ had become a lot more interesting since the teenage boy at my doorstep had entered it.

"Hey, Chase, how long d'you think you'll be? 'Cause I'm kinda, uh, illegally parked."

Definitely more interesting.

 **So that's that, and I actually know what next chapter will be about, for once! Go me!**

 **Reviewer Replies:**

 **Cinder Luna - You don't know how happy it makes me to read that, I always read other stories where the characters are so well written and I try to emulate that as best I can**

 **1quintisfan - I'm all about suspense. Thanks for the cookie, I hope you like this chapter which doesn't end on any major plot twists. You might still call it a cliffy though**

 **I hope you liked it! Until next time,**

 **HV**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N**

 **Hey guys! I just thought that I'd post this because I haven't updated in a while, and also because I just thought of another idea and I really want to start writing the next chapter. So without further ado, here it is!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Annabeth's POV**

"Who even likes classical music? You're crazy!"

"At least it doesn't have people _screaming_ every five seconds-"

"That's a stereotype, none of my songs have screaming in them, you just generalized a genre. I hope you're happy with yourself," Percy accused, struggling to keep his eyes on the road.

Five minutes into the car trip, we'd discovered that the two of us had... _different_ musical tastes, to say the least. I argued that classical was fine because if we were going to talk, you don't need someone else singing in the background. Percy, on the other hand, was trying to show me the mix tape he'd made once because there was _this one song I really have to show you._ I was skeptical.

Our argument was interrupted by Percy's phone ringing and he raised it to his ear. "Hello?"

"You can't call while driving!" I berated him, trying to pluck the device out of his hand. "You'll crash. Let me talk."

But, being stubborn as he was, he dodged my hands. "Hey, mom. Yeah, she did. We're driving over now...um, yes?" I watched as he chewed his lip and sighed. "Yeah, okay. Here, Annabeth, take it," he said as he handed me the phone.

"Hey, Sally," I greeted, sending a smug smirk in Percy's direction.

"What on earth is my son thinking, calling and driving?" She asked me incredulously, and I hid a grin.

"I don't know. He can be pretty dense sometimes," I supplied, pretending not to notice the scowl Percy shot me.

She chuckled. "That he can. I was just calling to let you know that Paul and I are here, and we've set up Percy's room and the guest room for you. We may not be there when you arrive, so don't worry about us being kidnapped or anything," she added jokingly.

"I'll keep that in mind. And thank you, Sally, for letting me come. I really appreciate it," I said honestly.

"Oh, don't mention it. Percy never brings anyone out here, so it's nice to see you tagging along."

"He said that Paul calls him a hermit," I told her. She immediately burst out laughing.

"That's what Percy wants him to believe. I know some of the things my son gets up to and frankly, I wish I didn't." Percy glanced over at me curiously when I started laughing.

"I'll let you go now, Paul wants to know why Percy isn't actually a loner. Wish me luck!"

"Bye," I chuckled, before placing the phone down at my side.

"Why were you talking about me with my mom? That's weird," Percy complained. I pointed to the road, which resulted in him turning back to stare at me.

"Watch the road, Seaweed Brain. I don't feel like dying today." I watched as his hand reached out towards the radio. "Oh, no you don't!"

"But Wise Girl!" He protested, sticking his lower lip out. "It's my car! Please?"

"Don't try and guilt me into...okay, fine, three of your songs than three of mine, does that work?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed, actually jumping in his seat. He pressed a button on the stereo and some song I'd never heard before started blaring from the speakers.

"Jeez, turn it down!" I yelled, slapping my hands over my ears. "I can't hear myself think! Or talk, for that matter!" He turned it down, but only a few decibels. I rolled my eyes at his affronted expression.

"You have to have it loud, otherwise it doesn't have the same effect!"

"Yeah, well, I don't really want to go deaf by the end of this trip, so-"

"You won't be deaf. So maybe it's louder than normal but-" And so the rest of the drive was spent arguing about music.

...

"Did we really argue the whole time about whose music to play?" Percy asked me as he pulled down a dirt road.

"Yeah, we really did. Of everything we could've talked about," I mused. He pulled the car over and parked, the radio shutting off. I'd just managed to turn it to a somewhat bearable station, too.

"We're gonna have to walk for about ten minutes, so I hope you like nature," he announced as he climbed out of the car. I opened my car door and stepped out, glancing around as I did so. We were in the middle of a clearing, and tall trees surrounded us on all sides. I could just barely make out patches of sky through the intertwined branches.

"C'mon, Chase, there's a better view when we actually get to the beach." I brought my eyes down from the treetops. "Or personally, I think the view is standing right in front of you," he said, winking.

"Ha ha, very funny," I said wryly. I noticed that he'd grabbed my bag from the backseat and was offering it out to me. "You're taking my bag? Cool, thanks so much." Without another word, I turned around and headed down the path which presumably led to the cabin.

"How'd she even know which way to go?" I heard Percy mutter under his breath behind me. I grinned widely, breathing in the fresh air as I did so.

"How long have you been coming out here?" I asked, dropping back so Percy could catch up. He slung my bag over his shoulder and used one hand to scratch his forehead.

"Since I can remember, really. I stopped coming as much when the gang stuff became really overwhelming."

"You mean the random missions they send you on almost every night?"

He nodded in response. "Yeah. Like, even now, Dionysus is gonna be pissed at us, well mainly me, for going away, because then he has to find someone to fill in for me that's just enough of a pushover to do anything he wants them to."

I frowned. "You're not a pushover."

"Maybe, maybe not." He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, his mind in a completely different place. He blinked and the expression dropped immediately. "So, are you excited to see the beach?"

"Yeah," I said, gladly taking the subject change. "I mean, I've seen pictures, but they don't even begin to compare to the real thing, right?"

"No, they really don't," he replied, and we fell into a comfortable silence. I didn't really feel the need to talk, I was happy with my excited thoughts. Going to the beach was something I'd always wanted to do, but I'd just never built up the nerve to go alone, and my mom wasn't all that big of a fan of the ocean. Something about this guy she'd met once who loved it and she'd hated him.

About five minutes later he stopped me, moving to stand in front of me. The trees had begun to thin out and I knew that we must be close. "Are you ready to see the most amazing thing ever?"

"Sure," I answered, shrugging. His eyes narrowed and his lips pursed together.

"Annabeth Chase, this is your first time seeing the beach, and _that_ _'s_ how enthusiastic you are?"

"You know the word 'enthusiastic', I'm impressed," I said, trying to peer over his shoulder.

"Now I'm gonna ask you again and you're gonna answer properly," he said seriously. "Annabeth Chase, _are you ready to see the most amazing thing ever?_ "

"Sir yes sir!" I shouted, mock-saluting as I did so.

He nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good. Now...observe!" He pulled back the branches in front of me in one fluid motion, revealing the sand beyond. I raced out from the forest and stopped dead in my tracks when I was nearly blinded by the sun.

"Ack!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms up to cover my eyes. I felt fingers tug at my hands, pulling them away from my eyes and I knew that Percy was behind me. When my senses had adjusted, I let my eyes slowly open. And was gobsmacked at the sight in front of me.

The sun was in the process of setting, painting the sky a multitude of pinks, purples and yellows. The ocean below was a deep blue, but also reflected with shades of indigo and violet. Waves lapped against the shore gently, the crashing sound of them oddly soothing. I instantly understood why so many people were in love with the beach. I knelt down to untie my Converse and once I kicked them off I buried my feet in the sand, letting it fall between my toes.

"I see why you love it here so much," I said finally, taking it all in. "It's so beautiful."

"It really is," he replied, staring out at the horizon. It made me wonder if he was thinking about his father. I didn't want to risk asking, but it was brave of him to keep coming back to the ocean, even though it's what took his father from him. If my mother had embarked on a boat and never come back, I would have avoided all things water related at all costs. But then again, maybe it made him feel closer to his lost parent.

The ocean really reminded me of his eyes. I'd made the connection before, but now that I'd actually seen the sea in real life, the resemblance struck me more vividly. Like right now, for example, the water was incredibly calm. Percy seemed to be peaceful, the most peaceful I'd ever seen him. His eyes reflected that, a deep green with a hint of blue, and I smiled to myself. It was so relaxing out here, so different compared to the normal chaos of our lives in Manhattan.

"Percy, Annabeth, is that you?" Both of us turned in unison to face Sally and Paul, who were heading our way. "We're just heading down to see the Mayfairs." I was confused but since Percy nodded, I figured they must live out this way.

"Cool," he replied. "Tell Andrew I said hi."

"Will do. You two have fun!" Sally said before the two adults turned and headed towards the path Percy and I had just come from.

"You have two choices: go swimming now or wait 'til tomorrow," he informed me. "This is a big decision here, Chase, I'm expecting a good answer."

"As this is my first time seeing the ocean, I believe it would be a good idea to not leave myself in suspense overnight and simply go now," I replied, my lips quirking as his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"That was...kinda hard to follow but okay!" He grabbed my arm and pulled, beginning to walk to a lone cabin which looked to be just under a mile away. "So, this is our humble abode when we want to get away. Don't get too excited, it's pretty lame."

"I'm sure it's great," I assured him, relishing the feeling of sand under foot.

"You're the first person other than me, mom, Paul and my dad to see this place. Wow, that's weird," he mused. "Maybe Paul's right. I literally had no friends before you."

"You made that choice, didn't you? It wasn't because you were socially inept," I said.

"Yeah. I didn't want anyone getting hurt because of me. At least with you, I know you can hold your own." He twisted the door handle experimenting, scowling when it didn't open. "Seriously, Paul? Why'd he _lock_ it when he knew we were coming?"

"I assume you have a spare key?" I questioned, amusement creeping into my voice. Percy must've caught it because he shot me a glare.

"Yeah, apparently we do. I don't know, I've never had to use it because Paul _never locks it._ " He crouched down and lifted up the doormat, but there was no key under it. "Why now? Why can this not happen when I don't have anybody here with me?"

"Are those your swimming trunks?" I asked suddenly, gesturing to his shorts. He nodded suspiciously. "I'll just go behind the cabin and get changed, then come back round. No biggie."

"Are you sure? Cause I can probably just kick the door down or something-"

"Percy! I'm not letting you vandalize your own holiday cabin. It's fine. Just...stay here, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I'm gonna try find the stupid key," he told me, and I picked up my bag and wandered around the side of the cabin. I changed into my one piece quickly and shoved my clothes into my bag. Even though there was no one else around, I felt strangely exposed. I shook off the feeling and picked my way through the bush, back to where Percy was still trying to find the key.

"No luck?" He jumped at the sudden noise and I had to stifle a grin.

"Nope," he replied, pressing his hands against the sides of his head. "Maybe we never had a spare."

"Well, it doesn't matter now. I just wanna go swim. So let's go, Jackson," I said, already beginning to walk towards the water.

"Whatever, Chase." He didn't say anything for a few beats. Then, "I just realized I don't have a towel."

"How long do you think your mom and Paul will _be?_ " I asked him in disbelief. "Not that long, right? They'll be back by the time you'll be wanting to dry off, probably."

"Oh no, you've never seen Mrs Mayfair talk, they won't be getting back for at least three hours."

"That'd make it about eleven. Are you _sure_ there's no spare key?" I asked.

"Not that I can find."

"I'm sure there probably is one, then."

"Hey! I'll have you know that-" The first warning sign was when he abruptly cut himself off. The second was the smirk that split across his face.

"Uh, Percy..." The third and final signal was when he began walking towards me with his arms outstretched. I knew what he was planning on doing and I started to back away, almost tripping over my own feet. "Oh, no. You really don't want to do that."

"And why not?" He returned, one eyebrow raised.

"Because you'll feel bad?" I tried, stopping once the waves were lapping against my ankles. "Because it's not chivalrous? Because it's not-" Despite my attempts to deter him, he still picked me up and waded out further into the water. "Put me _down,_ " I said, my voice deadly quiet.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Bad choice of words, Chase." Then he dropped me into the freezing cold ocean water.

 **Percy's POV**

After laughing for a solid thirty seconds, it occurred to me that, hey, it had been thirty seconds, and she hadn't come up to breathe yet. "Oh, shit. Annabeth?"

We'd only been here for like ten minutes and I'd already managed to screw up? Jeez, that had to be some kind of record, even for me. "Annabe-" I was cut off by someone tackling me from behind, which took me completely off guard. I stumbled, trying to keep my balance, but it proved pointless and I ended up toppling over into the water.

When my head broke the surface, Annabeth was doubled over and laughing. I hadn't seen her properly laugh in forever. "You're gonna pay for that," I said, pointing a threatening finger at her.

"That was me getting back at you for dumping me in the water, so I'd say that the karma's already been dished out," she rationalized, holding out her hand. "Truce?" I reached out to shake her hand, and was completely taken off guard when she judo flipped me, which I didn't think was the point of a truce. But hey, maybe that's just me. I may or may not have let out an undignified squawk as she flipped me over her shoulder, which sent her into hysterics.

"I thought that was a truce?" I asked, trying to regain my composure.

"I'm sorry, I just had to take the opportunity," she replied, grinning at me. I stood up and shook my head, droplets flying from my hair. "Hey! You're not a dog, you don't need to do that."

"Woof," I deadpanned, biting down on my lip to keep a straight face.

"You're not funny," she informed me, and I splashed her with a flick of my hand. I laughed at her affronted expression. "Do you really want to challenge me, Seaweed Brain?"

I pretended to think for a second. "Yeah, I think I do, Chase." Before I could do or say anything else, she darted forward and tapped me on the shoulder.

"Tag." With a snicker, she sprinted out of the water and towards the other end of the beach. I watched in stunned silence as sand flew around her before I snapped back to my senses and took off after her.

"You can't outrun me!" I shouted as I raced after her, my feet pounding against the sand. I'd been going to the beach for long enough that I'd gotten pretty good at running on sand. As I ran, I could feel my worries and tensions back home start to fade away, until I could almost forget them altogether.

...

After an hour or two of swimming, we ended up sitting with our backs to one of the sand dunes, watching the sky grow darker. Mom and Paul still hadn't returned, so we were still locked out of the cabin. I didn't know what time it was, or how long we'd been sitting there for, but time had seemed to stop. This moment felt like it was frozen in time.

"It's really peaceful out here. It's so...strange," Annabeth spoke up suddenly, her voice breaking the previous silence. She had the clean towel draped over her shoulders, because what kind of guy would I be if I let the girl freeze? I'd pulled my shirt back on once I'd dried off a bit, but I could still feel the fabric clinging to my skin.

"How so?" I asked absentmindedly, inspecting a piece of driftwood by my hand.

"Because the past week, I haven't really given myself time to think, or relax, or just...take a step back from my life," she explained. "And now that I have some breathing space, I'm just thinking about everything I was avoiding back in New York."

I kept my eyes on the horizon. "What were you avoiding?"

"My mom, the Half Bloods," she said, and I could see her hands gesturing at nothing from the corner of my eye. "Even you."

"Me? Why were you avoiding me?" I asked, turning to glance at her. She focused her eyes on something in the distance.

"So we wouldn't have to talk. Because we both know there's something that we need to discuss." At my blank expression, her eyes rolled. "Oh my gods Percy, do you really need me to spell it out for you?"

"Um, yes?" I answered sheepishly. She shouldn't be surprised. I mean, I _am_ pretty dense. And now I'm insulting myself. Brilliant. Just because I wasn't very perceptive didn't mean that I had to...what, bully myself? Was that even a thing? It probably was-

" _Percy._ " I blinked, snapping out of my daze. Annabeth was waving her hand in front of my face, staring at me with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, uh, sorry," I said. "You were saying?"

She pointed to each of us as she said our respect fake names. "Pierre. Beth. That whole situation."

"I like how you're calling it a 'situation'," I mused, tapping my chin with my finger. "But yeah, I guess we should probably talk about that."

"I'll tell you what I propose, then you can tell me whether you agree with it," she began. I nodded in response. "Okay, so. I think we should just...start on a clean slate. Because we got off to a shitty start as Percy and Annabeth, and Annabeth and Peter got into a fist fight when we were like seven, and with Beth and Pierre it was a completely different story altogether. So I say we forget all that and just completely start over."

I mulled that over. I _did_ want to forget about when we first met, because I was a royal asshole and I took everything too far, all because I wanted to protect my reputation. And the whole fight 'Peter' and Annabeth had gotten into? That was stupid. It was just another one of our petty fights. But I didn't want a complete clean slate.

"I'm going to start this off with an apology. Annabeth, I'm really sorry about how much of a dick I was to you when we first met, I was just...caught up with reputations." She nodded, which I took as a gesture to keep talking. "But I don't want a clean slate. I think we've been through too much to just pretend it never happened. Just...god, I can't get over how big of an asshole I was."

"I forgive you," she replied, which surprised me. "Because I know that you've changed. And...I guess you're right. We've done so many things together that I don't really want to forget. But some of those memories..."

"Whenever you start thinking about those, just remember that one time, I nearly kissed a mummy."

"Oh my gods!" She exclaimed, barking out a laugh. "That was hilarious!" Then she fell silent, her eyes glazing over slightly. "That's what we should probably talk about next. The...the _reason_ you nearly kissed a mummy."

"Because I was trying to kiss-oh. _Oh._ Right, yeah," I finished awkwardly, cursing myself for how lame I just sounded. "About that..."

What was I supposed to say? Or, no, screw that. What did I _want_ to say about it? Because that week had just been a distraction, something to get away from the chaos that was my life. Oh jeez, I didn't want to talk about this.

"Look, we were both looking for a distraction and we used each other to achieve that. So it wasn't...it didn't mean anything." I was surprised by the stab of disappointment that hit me. Why was I disappointed? The answer to that question terrified me, so I tried to push it out of my mind. But when there's something you really _don't_ want to think about, it seems to become all that you _can_ think of. It's ridiculous.

I didn't... _like_ Annabeth, did I? I just felt attached to her because she was the only real friend I've had for years. That was it. It had to be. I didn't...no, I _couldn't_ like her. It just wouldn't work. Besides, I hadn't genuinely liked a girl since Rachel. There were times with Calypso when I thought that maybe, maybe I could love her. But I got scared of that and broke her heart instead.

Wow, I _was_ a dickhead.

"So, a mostly clean slate?" She questioned, tilting her head to one side. I stared as her hair fell over her shoulder, then blinked furiously to clear my head. What was wrong with me? Jeez.

"A mostly clean slate it is," I agreed, tearing my gaze back to the ocean. The sky had darkened to a deep, dark blue. If I wanted to be poetic, I'd say that it bore a striking resemblance to my soul. Yeesh, even that last sentence was borderline sap. Let's forget about that, shall we? "How are you doing, by the way?"

"What?" She blurted, and I could feel her eyes on me.

"With your mom. You seem to be handling it okay but, well, you never know what a person's really going through," I added, my eyes flicking over to her. She tried to force a smile, her lips pressed tightly together.

"I collected her ashes the other day. I don't know what to do with them, though."

"Where did she...like to be, whenever she could?" I asked gently.

"That's the thing," she began, pressing her palms to her face. "I never really knew her well enough to know that."

"I'm sure you'll think of something. You're the smartest person I know," I assured her. "And trust me, I know a _lot_ of people."

She cracked a smile at that before a shiver racked her body. "The temperature's dropping and I'm still pretty cold. I hope Sally and Paul get back before we get hypothermia."

A light bulb went off in my head. "Why don't we just sleep in the car?" Annabeth stared at me, her eyes seeming to say _what a dumb idea._ "You can recline the two front seats, and it's better than hypothermia."

"Good point. Lead the way."

Once we reached the car, I pushed the seats back to clear up some more space. The car was a decent size and without the seats in the way, there was definitely enough room for at least four people to fit. I glanced over my shoulder to see Annabeth's reaction to my ingenious plan, and found her mock frowning.

"Surprised I had a plan?" I questioned, leaning back against the car and crossing my arms. She grinned drily back at me, folding her own arms.

"No, coming up with a plan isn't that hard," she said, but opened her mouth again before I could make my smug comment. "I'm surprised that you came up with a _good_ plan."

"Well, whatever," I said, opening the door for her. "After you, milady."

"Again, this isn't the 1900's," she commented as she climbed in. I shuffled in next to her, and leaned back against the beat up seats. I was expecting us to fall into silence, but she didn't seem to have the same idea. "Thanks for inviting me here. Really, it means a lot. I don't really get away much."

Both of our gazes were glued to the roof of the car, each of us lost in our thoughts. "Hey, don't worry about it. Just between you and me, it's nice having someone else out here other than Paul and my mom. I think I would've drowned myself if I had to hear Mrs Mayfair talk about _that one summer carnival back in '58_ one more time."

She laughed, and I let my head turn slightly so I could glance at her from the corner of my eye. Her blonde hair was still slightly damp, and it was spread around her head like a halo. Her eyes were closed, her expression serene. I found my gaze dropping to her lips.

"Night, Percy." I was jolted from my daze at her words, blinking rapidly to try and clear my head. Had I really just thought about kissing her?

"Night, Annabeth," I replied, closing my eyes. I couldn't believe it. Well, actually, I kind of could. The reason I hadn't allowed myself to have many friends over the past few years was because I got attached easily. And now after spending so much time with Annabeth, I'd let my guard down and started to open up.

I wasn't even going to deny it, I liked her. As more than a friend. I liked Annabeth Chase.

Well, fuck.

 **The next chapter will be up soon, I promise! Within the next two weeks, okay? You can hold me to that (probably).**

 **Reviewer Replies:**

 **1quintisfan - I'm glad you liked it, and I'm also glad that the range of emotions came across too! I always try super hard to get it right but I swear I never do**

 **JC RH - I know, right? I think I tried to make it complicated, because I thought that it wasn't, and I just ended up making it super confusing. I do that a lot, actually. I'm glad you like the interaction between Percy and Annabeth too! You don't know how awesome it is to have people say that**

 **Cinder Luna - Thanks so much! Honestly, I try so hard sometimes to make the characters seem realistic and I know that I am, and writing shouldn't be forced which is why I barely ever update. Stoked you like it!**

 **Hoped you liked the chapter, and until next time,**

 **HV**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N**

 **Okay, okay, it's been more than two weeks. Actually, it's been two months. And I'm really sorry, _but_ I promise I've nearly finished the next chapter, so it won't be as long a wait. And there's only going to be like six, maybe seven more chapters. Well, that's the plan, anyway. Who the heck knows anymore?**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Annabeth's POV**

"Watch it, loser!" I was shoved roughly to the side by one of the many dickheads that seemed to attend this school. I gritted my teeth and kept my head down, refusing to let it get to me. I was happy, I'd had a good weekend, for once, where I had actually gone out and done something that wasn't illegal.

My good mood wasn't lasting, however, and I felt like it was rapidly dissolving with every second I had to spend in school. It had lasted all of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. But now it was fading and I wanted another adrenaline rush.

It was this observation that brought me to the school bathrooms at the beginning of lunch. The observation that gave me the motivation for another adrenaline rush. The observation that life was too short and what was the point if you weren't going to enjoy it.

In four words, I ditched the disguise.

I had my wig clutched in one hand, my contacts case firmly gripped in the other. Percy had done it, was doing it right now, actually, so why couldn't I? In fact, it would be even more of a surprise and would cause major confusion for a lot of people. Not all the students at Goode knew all the gritty details about the gangs, but most of them knew enough to realize who I was. I'd seen them avoid me when I was out in public, fear shining bright in their eyes. I'd seen the frightened looks they'd given me.

"Okay," I said, running a hand through my hair to smooth it out. "Let's do this."

The walk to the cafeteria was quiet, but there were still a few people here and there. When I passed them, I felt their eyes on me and I tried to keep my face neutral. A few of them murmured things too low for me to hear, which gave me even more reason to believe they were talking about me. I felt my phone buzz and I pulled it out of my pocket, staring at the notification curiously. Thalia. She'd been bugging me about my whereabouts Monday the whole week, and I'd blown her off every time. I decided that this time I'd actually reply, because I'd been seriously neglecting my friends lately.

 _U ok? U missed school monday & u never miss school_

I rolled my eyes at the text speak and slowed my pace as I typed out a reply, feeling an anticipatory grin working it's way onto my face.

 _Look up._ I took a breath and rolled my shoulders as I stopped in front of the double doors that separated me from the rest of Goode. Then I pushed open the doors and strode into the room.

Thalia's eyes met mine and widened, her eyebrows nearly disappearing up into her hair. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Everyone else that had noticed had the exact same reaction.

I wordlessly picked my way through the tables, keeping my eyes on the person I was heading towards. I kept my expression blank, just as he was doing.

"Annabeth," Percy began seriously, his eyes narrowing as I sat down. He managed to keep the straight face for a total of five seconds. Then his lips split into a grin and he held out a palm for me to high five. "Took you long enough!"

"Someone's happy," I commented, forcing myself not to copy his smile.

"Apparently I'm the only one. Don't look now, but we're being watched." I turned my head to see where he was nodding at and bit my lip. My usual group of friends was gaping at me with mixed expressions of confusion, hurt and disbelief.

Nonchalantly, I faced Percy again. "Don't they know stalking is a legal offence?"

He quirked an eyebrow at my demeanor but didn't comment on it. "So, what's up with the sudden change?"

"Well," I began, a wry smile playing at my lips. "I was sick of the disguise, because it's all so pointless, you know? And, okay, maybe I wanted to see people's reactions," I added sheepishly.

"Congratulations, Chase, because in the five minutes you've ditched the wig, I've heard more rumors than there ever were when I got rid of my disguise. Which is seriously impressive. Although half of those rumors have included me somehow, so I deserve some credit there too," he added thoughtfully, pulling a granola bar out of his jacket pocket and unwrapping it.

"What've you heard? And what do you mean they've _included you_?"

He took a bite of the bar. "Next table over. Listen in." I did as he suggested and focused my hearing on the table to my right, straining my ears to make out what they were saying.

"-reckon they were together?"

"Please, they definitely were. Don't you think it's suspicious she comes clean right after he does?"

"Well I think they're together. As in-"

"Screwing-because-they're-a-couple together or you're-my-gang-buddy-let's-hook-up together?"

"Is that not the same thing?"

"No, because one would mean they're really dating, the other one is-"

I tuned out and focused my attention back on Percy. "Are they really arguing about the circumstances under which we supposedly hooked up?"

A smirk curved his mouth. "Oh, yeah. Wanna make it true?"

"Funny, Jackson," I shot back, glancing around the whispering student body. "Are they all like that?"

"Oh, no, I just thought you'd find that one funny."

"I've gotta say, it's funny how much an appearance can change things."

"No kidding," he muttered. I fished my contacts case out of my bag and threw it at his head. He caught it just before it hit him and stared at it blankly. "Did you just throw your...contacts at me?"

"It would seem so," I retorted. "Has Dionysus called you at all since we got back?"

"Ah, no, he hasn't," he replied, scratching the back of his neck. My eyes narrowed skeptically, but I didn't press it. Instead I turned my attention to my vibrating phone.

 _R u crazy? Btw where were u?_ I looked up and saw Thalia staring at me. When she noticed me returning her gaze, she made a bunch of random gestures that I would normally have laughed at. Today, though, I simply ignored her frantic glare and texted back.

 _With Percy. Don't worry, I'm okay._ When she read my reply, her eyes popped even more and she sent me an incredulous look. I shrugged in response.

 _Y WERE U WITH HIM DID HE HURT U ILL KILL HIM_

"Who're you texting? Grace?" Percy asked, leaning across the table to try and see my screen. I moved my phone so he could see the conversation and sent my reply.

 _If he hurt me, why would I be sitting with him?_

"Do all your conversations with her revolve around me?" I tilted my head up and froze when I saw how close his face was to mine. I could count every individual eyelash, see all of the different colors and emotions swirling in his eyes.

"In your dreams, Jackson." My words came out as more of a whisper than I'd intended. In any other circumstance I would've berated myself for it, but the look in his eyes was so intense I thought that maybe I shouldn't.

"Trust me, you star in them frequently," he murmured back.

"You've used that before. Can't come up with anything new?" I didn't know what we were doing, but when I talked I could almost _feel_ his lips with my own.

"I thought girls liked it when guys told the truth," he questioned before winking and leaning back to his side of the table. "So, Annie, we never answered their question." He nodded to the table beside us and I raised an eyebrow at him, confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"Are we screwing because we're a couple or hooking up because we're gang buddies?"

"If I had something else to throw at you, I'd use it."

"You could throw yourself on me. If you're into PDA," he added mischievously.

"When did you become such a flirt?" I questioned, turning off my phone. I could talk to Thalia later, I didn't feel like explaining myself right now.

"Excuse me? I've always been a flirt, babe."

"Not with me, you're not. Is something up?"

He blinked a few times, shaking his head every few seconds. "Yeah, you're right. It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"If you say so," I said doubtfully. Something was going on with him, and I had every intention to find out exactly what it was.

...

My stomach dropped the instant I caught sight of the door. I'd been expecting someone to come and kick me out for a while, and I knew it would be soon. But apparently I was wrong about that.

"Hey, what's happening?" I asked one of the police officers crowding around the footpath.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" He returned, flicking through his notepad boredly.

"I just got out. Also, I live here, so I think I have the right to know," I added, raising my eyebrows. He glanced up at me and immediately turned back to his files.

"You're Annabeth Chase?"

"Yup."

"In that case, sure I'll tell you. Your apartment is now a crime scene, because of the murder of Athena Chase," he said seriously. I froze, staring at him with wide eyes.

"You mean, it's officially listed as a murder?" I clarified. That was new. I had my own suspicions, of course, but the police didn't know that. The hospital had chalked it off as a freak accident, even though there were potential signs of foul play. So why the sudden change of heart? "I've been living in that apartment since she died, I might've contaminated any evidence-"

He nodded. "Yes it is, and don't worry about it. We'll be searching for any foreign evidence. We'll let you know if we find anything. For now, though, do you have anywhere else to stay?"

I paused, thinking over my options. Plenty of people had offered to shelter me until I headed off to college. "Yeah, I've got a place in mind."

"Brilliant. In that case, you head off there now and you can come back tomorrow to get anything you need," he told me, before pointing down the road. "I'm not technically supposed to be disclosing this to you yet, so you might wanna head off before I get in trouble."

"No worries, make sure you keep me updated," I tacked on, knowing full well that this would probably be the last time this officer and I spoke. Then I turned and headed back down my street, wondering who I was going to crash with tonight. There was only one viable option, though, at least to me.

Besides, maybe it would help me work out my confusion when it came to him. Because I hated feeling confused.

I turned the corner and bumped straight into someone coming the opposite way.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I wasn't- _Luke?"_

He raised a hand. "Hey, Annabeth."

"What...what are you doing here?" I snapped. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. "What do you want?"

"Want? Why would I want something, Annie?" He asked, taking a step closer to me. I stepped back, holding my hands out in front of me.

"Take another step and I scream. What do you want?"

"Okay, okay," he said, holding out his palms. "I'm not here for you, actually, I'm here for Jackson. I thought you guys were practically conjoined?"

"Only on Mondays, which was unfortunately three days ago. Why do you want to talk to him?"

"Personal matters that don't concern you. Now, if you'll let me go-"

"Fine! Don't tell me, just let him give me his version of events. I'm sure you'll be portrayed in a much better light."

"If you wanna talk to Jackson about me, ask him about this," he said, pointing to the scar on his face. "I'm sure he'd _love_ to tell you that story."

"What do you mean-"

"Sorry, gotta run, but hopefully I'll catch you later. Not," he added as he strode away. I scowled after him, left to wonder what on earth he was up to.

 **Percy's POV**

Annabeth had dropped the disguise. Annabeth and I had been _thisclose_ to...what, exactly? Actually, let's just end it at _thisclose._ That worked, too. And when I tried to turn on the charm, she thought something was wrong with me. I really needed a better tactic. Annabeth also didn't know Dionysus wanted to meet up with me. Annabeth would probably kill me if she found out.

As you can see, most of my thoughts were revolving around one thing. Take your best guess as to what.

To be honest, thinking about Annabeth was a lot better than thinking about what Dionysus wanted me to do. Apparently over the weekend someone had tried to torch the Titans base, and the only reason it didn't burn down was because Luke was inside and called the fire department. I hoped it had burned his face off, but that was mainly wishful thinking. Also according to rumor, it had been a Half-Blood to do it. I didn't know how credible that was. Everyone seemed to be sabotaging everyone else these days, so it was probable. And it wasn't like Dionysus kept me in the loop on anything anymore, anyway.

When I rounded the corner, there was another person standing by Dionysus' side. Excellent. Just who I needed to deal with today.

"Jackson." Ares nodded at me, his face blank. "Where were you last weekend?"

"Not here, obviously," I retorted, shoving my hands in my pockets. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"How do you know I want you to do something?" Ares sent back, raising one eyebrow.

I scoffed. "You never bother showing up unless you desperately want something done. So, what is it?" I had no clue what relation Ares had to the Half Bloods, just that he was there. I didn't think he was a part of the gang, and my theory was that he was related to Dionysus somehow.

"You don't miss anything, do you?" At my glare, he continued. "Alright, alright. There's a new recruit and I want you to give him some pointers. His initiation is tomorrow-"

"Why is it always Friday?" I muttered under my breath. Ares shot me an irritated scowl.

"Because we say so. Anyway, you can't tell your buddy Chase about this, because she's involved-"

"Hold up," I interrupted, raising one of my hands. " _How_ exactly is she involved with this?"

"Here's the thing," Ares began, a lazy grin playing across his face. "We want you to supervise the newbie because he's breaking into her apartment. If she shows up and sees you there, she won't question it."

"Why the hell do you need to break into her apartment?" I asked incredulously. What, were they doing an employee check or something? And what was this bullshit about her not questioning me? She'd probably have my head if she found me snooping.

"Reasons. Meet here at ten tomorrow."

"Morning or night?"

"You leave at one hour to midnight. Make an inference."

"You know I'm failing English," I quipped. Ares gave me a blank stare. "Okay, whatever. Ten tomorrow, fine. Sounds like a lame initiation if you ask me."

"You don't know the half of it," Dionysus muttered. I shot him a sharp glance. "Oh, don't worry, Johnson. It'll be fine."

"It's Jackson!" I called over my shoulder as I turned and headed back down the alley. I could feel both Ares' and Dionysus' eyes on me the whole way.

"Oh, and Jackson?" I stopped walking but didn't turn around. Didn't want to give them the satisfaction of having piqued my curiosity. "If you do tell her, I'll personally ensure she, well, let's just say she won't have to worry about anyone breaking into her apartment anymore."

As I walked away, I had a billion questions fighting for attention in my head. Why would they want to break into Annabeth's apartment? It wasn't like she had anything they wanted, right? And even if she did, why would they send a newbie to do it for his initiation? Most initiations were pretty basic, determining how well you could do a job and if your moral compass would prevent you from seeing things through. I'd been told that my initiation had been an exception. Maybe they were stepping up their game. Who knew, I was never told anything anymore.

And would Ares really hurt her if I told her? Oh hell, it was _Ares,_ of _course_ he would.

By the time I got home, all I wanted to do was collapse on my bed and go to sleep. I still had one day of school left, so it wasn't like I could sleep in tomorrow. Actually, maybe I could, because I was pretty sure I had Calculus first and who even needs to know that shit?

My thought process was interrupted by a knock on the door. Which ruled out my plan of sleeping, since I was currently the only one at home to answer it.

"Whatever you're selling, I probably can't afford it, so-Annabeth?" I said, surprised to see the blonde haired girl at my doorstep. "What're you doing here?"

"To sell you my reasons to let me stay with you. And you don't even have to pay!" She exclaimed with fake gusto. "How great does that sound?"

"Why'd you need to stay with me?" I asked her. "Not that you can't, or anything. Did you finally get kicked out?"

She frowned slightly, and I felt myself unconsciously mirroring it. "Actually, it's kind of become a crime scene and is under investigation due to the murder of Athena Chase. I'm also kicked out, yes."

"Shit, the police are investigating? I take it that means the whole 'car crash' thing was ruled out," I commented, leaning against the door frame. As far as I knew, the only ones who knew and really cared whether it was foul play or not were Annabeth and I, maybe her friends. "Did someone tip them off or something?"

"I don't know, I guess? The officer was kind of vague," she replied, shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal. I knew that it really was and she just didn't want any pity or anyone else to worry about it.

"I mean, it's good, right? That she'll get justice?"

She locked her eyes with mine and I could see genuine stress in them. "I'll be their number one suspect. They might do a little digging and find out about, well, all of this. I could get in serious trouble. And maybe they'll link it back to you, too, because I've been hanging around you a lot lately and so many people have noticed, Percy. At school, we're almost all anyone talks about! What if-"

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to my chest. "Hey, it's okay. _We'll_ be okay. If anyone at school says anything about you to the police, I'll make sure they regret it."

"She was killed because of _me._ If I had...had been _better_ , somehow, she would still be alive," she said adamantly. The effect was kind of lost since she was talking into my shoulder.

"It doesn't matter. Athena would want you to fight back and get justice for her, and I'm going to help you do that. We can try and find something incriminating. Everything will turn out fine, I promise. In the meantime, you can stay on one condition," I proposed, smirking slightly.

"And what would that be?" She questioned, raising her eyebrows.

"You help me not burn down the kitchen while I attempt to cook. Sound fair?"

"Oh, very fair," she bit back as I stepped aside to let her in.

"Hey, cut the attitude or you're gonna have to sleep on the streets," I warned jokingly, leading her into the kitchen. "So, you feeling mac and cheese or noodles? Either way it's microwavable, so it'll taste basically the same."

"Noodles are probably easier," she offered, leaning back against the counter. I reached up to open a cupboard and peered at it's contents skeptically, trying to identify the two minute noodles. "I ran into Luke today," she continued.

My head snapped around at that. "Yeah? I thought he was still in hospital. Considering, you know, he was in a burning building and all."

"Really? I didn't know," she said. That was weird. It wasn't exactly a secret.

"Well, what'd he want?"

"You, actually. Any idea what that's about?" I shook my head. "Said he wanted to talk to you. He also mentioned something that I should ask you about."

I turned my focus back to the cupboard in front of me, where I finally spotted the noodle packet. I shifted sideways and blindly stuck my arm in, mentally cursing the extreme height of the dumb cupboards. "Anything interesting?"

"He pointed to the scar on his face, if that's any help," she said absentmindedly. I jolted and hit my head on the open cupboard door, my hand flying up to touch my temple. "Oh my gods, are you okay?"

"Yeah," I muttered. "Just peachy." She must have noticed my discomfort as I grabbed the noodles out and tore open the packet. I sighed as I prepared them, I'd have to tell her eventually. "It was my initiation."

"You mean, you had to fight him to get in?"

"No, I...I had to steal a pen. This very same one," I told her, pulling it out of my pocket and demonstrating how it extended into a knife. "I don't know how it does it and I don't know why the Half-Bloods wanted me to steal it, but I did. Funnily enough, I had to sneak into the Titan base to get it and I met Luke on the way out. I was stupid back then, even more than I am now, trust me, and when he offered me a ride home I said yes. Then all of a sudden he pulled a knife on me and almost killed me.

"I was about to pass out, but then I discovered what the pen does and I managed to get him across the face, hence the scar, and escaped. Rachel said I lost my pulse like five times. Which means I was technically dead, and I didn't actually make it through the night without dying, which was the goal. But apparently technicalities don't matter with the Half-Bloods," I finished bitterly, putting the bowl in the microwave.

"That's...awful," she said carefully.

I shrugged and sent her a grin. "Yeah well, awful things happen to everyone. You, me, even your old pal Luke."

"That doesn't mean I can't be sorry," she returned.

"I guess not." I paused for a second. I wanted to tell her about what Ares had said, about how I had to break into her apartment with the newbie. At least I knew she wouldn't be in there, and if the police were in there today they most likely wouldn't be tomorrow, especially not just before midnight. How would I sneak away, though? I couldn't tell her I was meeting Dionysus because she might follow me, and I sure as hell couldn't tell her, _hey, I'm breaking into your old apartment. Want me to bring you anything?_

And just like that, I had an idea. A really stupid one, considering I actually liked Annabeth, but it was all I had, seeing as my list of friends was extremely limited. I could probably manage to come up with a decent story, too.

"Hey, mind watching this for a sec? I need to call my mom," I lied smoothly, then felt like crap for it a moment later. Why could I never be straight up with anyone?

"Yeah, no problem," she replied happily, which made me feel even worse for lying.

"Great. Be back soon," I told her, then wandered down the hall to my room, pulling my phone out of my jacket pocket. I dialed the number and waited until she picked up.

"Hi Percy, what's up?"

"Hey, Rachel, I really need a favor," I began, waiting anxiously for her reply.

I could practically hear her curiosity through the phone. "What do you need?"

"I kind of need you to be my alibi tomorrow night. I'm supposed to be helping some kid with his initiation and Annabeth can't know, and since she's currently staying with me I can't exactly just leave without her asking where I'm going," I said in a rush. "All you'd need to do is tell her I was with you if she asks. Which she hopefully won't. Please?"

"Am I allowed to ask why she can't know?"

"Ares' orders. Don't ask me to explain him."

She laughed. "Yeah, I can't figure that man out either. Sure, Perce, I'll tell her if she asks. But I really don't think you should be hiding anything from her."

"I don't exactly have a choice," I replied testily.

"I'm not chewing you out, I'm just saying. Good luck with whatever it is you're doing tomorrow. Don't die," she added.

"That was one time, okay?"

"Five, actually, if you're into technicalities. I've gotta go, but I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure. Bye, Rach. And thanks."

"No problem."

I felt the guilty feeling rising in my stomach as I headed back out to the kitchen. You'd think I would have obliterated my moral compass long ago, but _no._ I had to go and be all sentimental.

"Everything cool?" Annabeth asked as I slipped back into the kitchen.

"Yeah," I replied. "Everything's cool." But everything _wasn't_ cool, and little did I know, it was only going to get much, much worse.

 **I don't really have much to say, but I hope you enjoyed it the next one will be up soon!**

 **Reviewer Replies:**

 **JC RH - I sure hope this doesn't disappoint, then! I'm really glad you liked the lighter scenes**

 **Cinder Luna - Sorry you had to wait for two months, but I'm stoked you love it!**

 **Damaris Diamond - Thanks for answering the questions, I completely forgot I added those in the first few chapters. Originally I was planning on including Caleo, so it may happen yet...and I'm afraid I can't answer that. _Yet._ Anyways, I'm happy you like it and hope you enjoyed this chapter too!**

 **Until next time,**

 **HV**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N**

 **Hey, hey, hey! It's another chapter! Not up as soon as I would have liked but hey, it's here now at least, right? I'm not going to ramble, and I'll just let you get on with it.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Percy's POV**

"Hold up. You're telling me that we're _planting_ _evidence_? What the hell?"

The blond boy in front of me frowned, weighing the knife in his hands. "Is that weird?" I was standing outside of Annabeth's apartment with the new recruit. Dionysus hadn't told me anything about what the new guy was supposed to do, and that I was only there to make sure Annabeth didn't show up. But apparently the newbie had a different idea, because as soon as we were out of earshot he began spewing questions right and left,

"'Is that weird?' _Yeah,_ kind of, since we're breaking into my best friend's house and framing someone for her mom's murder!" I exploded, pacing across the footpath. Once I registered my outburst, I sighed and ran a hand over my face. "Sorry, man, I'm just...I don't even know. Why did Dionysus want _me_ to come along? He knows I'm going to tell Ann-Chase right away."

"Well, actually," he began sheepishly, tucking one hand into his pocket. "I wasn't supposed to tell you about the whole evidence thing. But I figured you deserved to know, what with how torn up you look."

I groaned loudly. "Is it really that obvious?"

"I've lost count of how many people have walked past and given you odd looks."

"Why'd you wanna join in the first place? Also, what's your name? And-"

"Hey, what is this, an interrogation?" He joked. "I'm Will Solace. Apparently knowing names are bad, but I don't think you're going to tell anyone, except maybe Chase. As for why I joined, firstly, one of my half sisters is a member, and I can try and look out for her. Also, it allows me to get closer to this person I like..."

"Oh, gods," I muttered under my breath. If Will heard, he didn't comment on it.

"You might know him. Goes by Nico?" Out of reflex, one of my feet jerked back and kicked the ground in front of me. Nico di Angelo, I had a bone to pick with that kid. He'd stood there while Octavian drugged me, doing nothing. So maybe I _had_ taken the drink without hesitation, but that was only because it would have been the better of two outcomes. What I wanted to know was why he was there in the first place.

"Oh, yeah, I know him. Maybe I'll help you find him. But for now, I happen to have a key, so we're going to _pretend_ you broke in when we go back to Dionysus and he'll be impressed with your lock-picking skills. Then we'll get in, get out and I can go back to Chase and everything will be fine. Okay?" I said, fishing through my jacket pockets to find the key as I stomped towards the door. Will was left with no choice but to follow behind me.

"Whose knife even is that?" I asked as I unlocked the door. Will opened his mouth to reply, but my phone rang before he could get the words out. "Shit, I've gotta take this. And...oh, _fuck_ , it's Chase."

"I thought you guys were friends?" Will questioned, a grin quirking one side of his mouth. I glared at him.

"Hiya!" I answered brightly as I accepted the call, taking a few steps away from Will and gesturing for him to go inside and do whatever he was supposed to.

"Hey, Percy, I know you're with Rachel but I wanted to know if you could meet me at my apartment after? I was thinking about what you said about getting justice for my mom and I want to try and find some kind of evidence." Well, crap. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't tell her yes because then it would ruin the whole mission and possibly implicate ourselves. If I said no, though, she'd still go without me.

"Uh, why do you want to go now? I mean, the police are back in tomorrow and you don't want to implicate yourself," I reasoned, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Percy, if you don't want to come, that's fine. I just feel like tonight is a good night to do it." I tried not to throw my phone across the road.

"It's not that! I just...don't think it's a good night for it." Wow, that sounded completely calm and not suspicious at all. Way to go, Jackson. Gold star.

"Are you okay?" she questioned. "You sound...stressed."

"No freaking _duh_ ," I grumbled, holding the phone in front of me and scowling at it. "Hey, Annabeth, can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?" What _was_ this mysterious favor? I had nothing, I didn't even...okay. The idea popped into my head and I blurted it out straight away.

"Can you come pick me up? I'm at..." Where could I run to in the ten minutes it would take for her to navigate the traffic? "...Walmart."

"Am I allowed to ask why on earth you're at _Walmart_?" She asked incredulously. I dropped my head into my palm, letting out a barely audible groan.

"Well, I left Rachel's and I realized that my mom wanted me to pick up some...coat hangers! Yeah, because she needed some for her wardrobe and I was supposed to get them this morning but I forgot, so...that's why I'm here. At Walmart," I added, wincing at how unconvincing I sounded.

Annabeth paused for a moment, sighing slightly. "If you're hiding something, it's okay. You don't have to tell me. But you don't have to lie about being at Walmart."

"I am, though! Which is why I need you to come pick me up." I was such a terrible friend. Actually, I was a terrible person. If I couldn't get to Walmart and find some coat hangers soon, I was screwed.

"Okay, Percy, I believe you," she said in a way that told me just how much she believed me. "I'll even give you twenty minutes to get there before I come get you."

"It's not like that-" I began.

"It's fine, really, Percy. Are you okay, though? Did something happen with Rachel, or-"

"No, no, nothing happened, I just...I'm really out of it and I'm not thinking straight and somehow I ended up at Walmart."

"You were fine before you left," she pointed out. "If something happened, you can tell me, you know."

"Yeah, but nothing happened," I argued, taking a few more steps away from the apartment entrance. "I swear, me and Rachel are fine-"

"I'm leaving now, and there's barely any traffic. Just letting you know," she said tersely before hanging up. I stood there for about thirty seconds before I snapped into action.

"Will!" I yelled, running towards the apartment. "Will, I've gotta go, okay? Lock up once you're done and give me the key tomorrow!"

I heard a muffled _okay_ and figured he was somewhere deeper in the apartment. Then I turned on my heel and sprinted as fast as I could towards Walmart.

How did I always get myself into these situations? It was a metaphor for my life, in a way. Running in a race I was destined to lose. I didn't even know why I was so determined to be there in time. I mean, Annabeth knew I was lying. She didn't seem overly angry, which made it so much worse.

Deep down, I knew why I was so desperate not to break her trust. From what I'd heard, she'd already had it broken enough times, too. I had no intention of adding myself to that list of people.

It was nearing midnight, I was in a race against time to keep the girl I liked's trust, and I was caught in the middle of a lie. It was already sickeningly cliche enough.

Then it started raining.

And I'm not talking the light sheet of rain that always falls in the movies. I'm talking rain bucketing down so hard, it stung every time it hit my face. My hair had been plastered to my forehead and my clothes were sticking to me like cling wrap. Even if I made it in time, it would be blatantly obvious that I hadn't been waiting in Walmart. Unless...I pulled out my phone and tried to shield it with my jacket as I typed out a message.

 _Phone's bout 2 die, i'll wait outside til u come_

I felt undeniably guilty as I hit send, but I didn't have the time to worry about that. I felt my muscles tiring and my breathing was becoming more and more labored each time my feet hit the pavement. Why did I do this to myself, again?

When I finally caught sight of the blinking sign in the distance, I felt a massive weight lift off of my shoulders. Only to have it replaced with dread once I saw Paul's Prius parked outside. It was definitely her. Paul definitely wouldn't be here right now, and it was the most accessible car to her seeing as she was staying with us. Gods, I was an idiot.

"Save it," she said when I climbed into the passenger seat, trying not to get the car soaked. It was a wasted effort. I vowed to clean the car tomorrow. She began driving, then seemed to rethink her previous words. "Actually, don't. What's up with you?"

"I..." _I broke into your apartment, let a new recruit in so he can plant some fake evidence for your mom's murder and lied about hanging out with Rachel because I'm just cool like that._ Yeah, no. "I'm sorry."

"That doesn't answer the question. By the way, we're passing my apartment. I want to grab a few things," she informed me, causing my blood to run cold. I'd gone through so much effort to _avoid_ this exact situation, and now I was going to have to face it anyway? The Fates really knew how to treat a guy. I mean, I _did_ deserve it, but...that's not the point here, okay?

"Annabeth, please, can we come back tomorrow?" I said, my voice almost inaudible over the noise of the city. "Just...trust me on this. Please."

"The fact you don't want me to go makes me want to go even more," she told me. I groaned and let my head hit the seat, closing my eyes. "Hey, _I'm_ the one who's meant to be annoyed. Not you. Why did you lie?"

"I didn't-"

" _Percy!_ " She interrupted, her eyebrows scrunching together. "I know you're lying, and you know that I know! Stop beating around the bush and tell me _why._ "

"Is my word not good enough, or something? I said I'll tell you tomorrow, so can we just go home?" I retorted, sitting up straight in my seat. "Seriously, why can't you just listen for once?" Bad move. This only registered once the words had left my mouth, and I immediately tried to take it back. "Annabeth, sorry, I'm not thinking, I'm-"

"That's the thing! You never think _anything_ through, and I'm always the one who has to clean up after you. You're just so... _stupid,_ sometimes, and I should be mad at you but I'm not. And I hate that," she ranted, scowling at me like everything was my fault. Which it kind of was.

"Wait, you mean...you're not mad at me?" I clarified, slightly shocked at her words. I was faintly aware of the fact that we were within a ten yard radius of her apartment. She rolled her eyes.

"No, you idiot. I'm not."

"Then what-?" I was cut off when she slammed on the brakes, pulling over to the side of the road. I wisely decided not to say anything, because if I was about to get let off the hook, why would I want to ruin that?

"I'm-" Before she could deliver what I'm sure would have been an amazing explanation, she was cut off. And not by me.

Both of our heads whipped at the sound of the gunshot. Which had come from the direction of her apartment, a mere ten meters down the road. I knew right away that something must have gone wrong with Will's initiation, that it had somehow been sabotaged. After all, it wasn't an initiation without some kind of challenge, right? But Annabeth, she had no clue about that. It seemed as if she knew where the source of the shot came from regardless.

"I'll go check it out, you stay here," I told her as I opened the car door, putting one foot on the ground. "I'll be back in a sec, okay?"

The look she gave me would've been enough to scare even Ares. "I don't think so, Jackson. I'm coming with you." I stared at her in exasperation. I didn't want her to get hurt, which she very possibly might if she came with me.

"If you get hurt, I won't...please, just wait here." I could hear the obvious strain in my voice. I'd already screwed up enough by leaving Will in the first place. If I had stayed, if I'd still been waiting outside, nobody would have managed to sneak in. They would have seen me and kept walking. It was _my_ fault that Will might be hurt, and I didn't know if I could cope if I got Annabeth injured too.

"Percy, I'll be fine. Besides, I think you already have a good idea of what's happening." It was a statement, not a question. She knew. I didn't know how, but she did. She always seemed to know. It was what I admired most about her. Right now, though, I found it more annoying than endearing.

"I-" I took one look at her face and sighed, nodding sharply. "Fine. Come. But stay behind me, would you?"

"We'll see," she replied evenly as she stepped out of the car. As we walked in silence to the oddly quiet apartment, I felt a sense of dread creep into the back of my mind. I knew, even then, that someone wouldn't make it through the night. I just didn't know who.

 **Annabeth's POV**

I recognized the churning in my stomach when Percy told me he'd be hanging out with Rachel. I wasn't stupid, and I knew what it meant straight away. That didn't mean I was happy about it.

Jealousy. Something I hadn't felt in, well, years. And now, at probably one of the worst possible times, I just had to go and develop a crush on my best friend. The thing was, I didn't think it was a recent development. It had been festering over the past month, just waiting to show it's colors. And now it had, I had no clue what to think about it. If I _wanted_ to think about it.

I thought searching through my apartment might help, but it looked like I was in for a lot more than just a few old clothes.

"Don't come in until I say it's clear, okay?" Percy told me sternly as he cracked open the front door. "If someone's got a gun and is shooting whoever walks through the door, I'll warn you and you can run." He was being weirdly protective lately. Any other time, maybe it would've been nice. Cute, even. But right now? I just wanted to see who the hell was shooting guns in my apartment.

"Only if you tell me what you know," I returned, raising a challenging eyebrow. Just like I thought, he looked down and bit his lip but didn't say anything. "That's what I thought." I took another step towards the door, reaching out to push it open. Percy's hand shot out and his fingers wrapped around my wrist. I rolled my eyes in exasperation. " _Percy._ "

"Are you sure..." He trailed off, taking in my expression. "Yeah, you are. Okay. I'll just...yeah," he finished awkwardly, then pushed the door open and stepped inside. I followed right after him, my eyes scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

"Well, everything looks okay, so how about we just come back tomorrow?" Percy said cheerfully, but I caught the way his foot was tapping. I saw the way his eyes shifted, as if he was expecting someone to pop out any second.

"You wait here and I'll go grab what I need, okay? I'll be fine." I had no intention of leaving the apartment without giving it a thorough once over, but he didn't know that.

There was nothing odd to be found in my bedroom. It was right near the entrance, so maybe something was going on further into the apartment. I picked a few shirts and a jacket out of my drawers and draped them over my left arm. Then I reached down and pulled my knife out of my boot, holding it against my side.

The first warning was the muffled shout from where I was pretty sure was the living room. The living room, seriously? I was going to be pissed if they'd busted up my TV.

Not that my TV was the most important thing, of course.

Yeah.

"Can you _please_ shut up? They're not even here yet, anyway." That was the second strike. I recognized the voice, know it was oh so familiar, yet I couldn't place it. It was male, I knew that much. His tone had had an undertone much like someone who spent too much time smoking.

And who were they talking about? Call me self centered, but my immediate assumption was that this 'her' they were discussing was me. They were in my home, after all.

"Listen, don't you think it's suspicious we were all called here? Something's up." My eyes narrowed. _This_ voice was much easier to recognize. But why was Jason here?

"I agree. It doesn't make any sense-" That was...was that _Thalia?_ Oh my gods, how many people were here?

"You two worry too much. It's fine." I didn't know the final voice to chime in. The only thing I could pick up on was that it was a female. And she was probably a teenager. "And your theory about high ranks? What about him? He's a newbie."

"Yeah, but Jackson isn't." I felt my blood run cold at the mention of his name.

I decided to peer around the corner, and my jaw dropped in shock once I saw who the two unidentifiable people were.

The least shocking was Hylla, Reyna's sister, who was also the leader of the Amazons. But it was still weird that she was here. And kind of random, too.

And the guy...I flashed back to something Percy had told me earlier.

 _I thought he was still in hospital. Considering, you know, he was in a burning building and all._

The smoke from the fire would explain the harsh undertone to his voice, which is why I couldn't pinpoint it. He didn't look very injured for someone who had been in a burning building. I mean sure, Percy had only been out of action for two or three weeks, and he'd been trapped underneath a burning building, but he got injured all the time and was probably used to healing. But no one should be able to heal _that_ fast. And Luke had been fine when I'd talked to him today. Something wasn't adding up.

It occurred to me that I had some of the most influential gang members in Manhattan in my apartment right now. Luke controlled the Titans. Hylla controlled the Amazons. Jason, Thalia and Percy were all next in line to take over SPQR, the Hunters and the Half Bloods. Then there was me, and the other blonde boy I didn't know.

"Hey, kid, did Jackson tell you when he'd be back?" Luke inquired, eyeing up the blonde kid.

"I told you already, he didn't say anything, just left."

"I don't believe that," Luke spat, stalking towards him and grabbing a fistful of his shirt. "Now, why don't you tell me where they are?"

"Hey, quit it!" Thalia snapped, storming over and shoving Luke away from the smaller boy. "Interrogating him isn't going to help."

I was waiting for Luke's reply when a gloved hand closed over my mouth. I stabbed backwards with my knife, but it missed by a mile and clattered harmlessly to the floor. I struggled, but the arm around my torso was too strong.

"Look who decided to show up." The five heads in the living room all swiveled towards me and whoever the hell the other person was. I couldn't see them, no matter how hard I tried to crane my neck. Thalia's eyes bugged when she saw me.

"Annabeth?"

"Who the fuck are you?" Jason asked tersely, taking a step towards us. I subtly shook my head at him and bit the dude's hand that was still on my mouth. When he recoiled, I took my chance to speak.

"Don't. If you want to help me, do it subtly," I said loudly, my voice pitched so I was almost shouting. The hand clamped over my mouth again straight away, but I hoped that Percy had heard me and wouldn't just come blindly rushing in like he normally did.

"Jeez, are you trying to make us all deaf?" The blonde boy said with a grin. I appreciated his attempt at diffusing the situation, and it just made everything going on seem kind of ridiculous.

"Regardless of Miss Chase's intentions, you're all here for a reason. Any guesses as to what?" The man asked, and I could hear the underlying tone of amusement in his voice.

 _Why don't you enlighten us, asshole?_ I thought snidely.

"Why don't you enlighten us, asshole?" Thalia snarled, taking a step forward. Huh, I guess great minds do think alike.

In a split second, his hand dropped from my mouth and plucked my knife from my hand, holding it up to my neck. I jolted away from him instinctively and felt the blade nick my skin. I bit my lip to stop myself from reacting. The others, even Luke, stared at me in horror. I gave them a tight smile.

"Don't move or she gets worse than a little scratch," he warned, pressing the tip of the knife into the cut. Jeez, did this dude not understand basic hostage protocol? My legs were free, too, so I could always kick him if anything went wrong. Mistake on his part. Even Percy knew better when he was holding me when I talked to Dionysus for the first time.

To be fair, I'd much rather be pressed against Percy than whoever the hell was holding a knife to my throat.

Among other things I probably shouldn't think about when facing death.

"Now, why I'm here? Well, I'll tell you when our final guest shows up. Then we can get rid of this one and the newbie." I knew the final person was Percy. "I can assure you, my plan is incredibly exciting."

His plan? What the hell was he talking about? And why with these specific people?

Jason. Thalia. Luke. Percy. Hylla. What did they all have in common? And suddenly, it clicked.

Earlier on, Hylla had been trying to talk Thalia and Jason out of their theory about 'high ranks'. Hell, I'd even noticed it before. They were the most accessible higher ups in the gangs of Manhattan, and they had all been lured here, where this guy apparently wanted to execute some sort of plan. I couldn't think of what he was hoping to happen. That Thalia would attempt to kill Percy and it would turn into some sort of fight to the death? Actually, that was very plausible...

"By the newbie, you clearly mean me. So, what do you mean by 'get rid of'?" The blonde kid asked, raising one hand lazily. "Also, do you have a name? I keep referring to you as 'the dude' in my head and there's only so many times you can say that before it gets old. I'll go first, you can call me Solace, since everyone's so hyped on last names."

I had to suppress another smile, but the kid, sorry, _Solace,_ caught my gaze and winked. I didn't bother hiding my smirk.

"I go by Hyperion," the man replied.

"As in Greek titan Hyperion?" I inquired, trying to turn my head but failing. I'd always been a fan of Greek mythology. Maybe because their reality was so much more twisted and screwed up than my own.

"As in that's what I go by." Wasn't that the most helpful, non-vague answer ever? The dude should work at one of those help center desks they have in malls or something.

...I really needed to spend less time around Percy.

"Chase, sweetheart, why don't you get your boy to come out now?" Hyperion said, impatience lacing his words. "I'm bored of waiting."

"Good luck with that, he's at a friends." That wasn't actually a lie. He _was_ at a friends place, namely me.

The knife dug deeper into my skin. I repressed a scream. Maybe Percy had left. Maybe he'd gone to get help, or called the police, or just run away full stop. I wouldn't blame him, not really, because I didn't want him to get hurt-

"Hey jackass." I felt my hopes both lift and sink when I heard his voice. "That's my friend you've got there."

Hyperion's grip on me loosened ever so slightly, and I subtly shuffled so I could see what was going on. Sure enough, there Percy was, holding out his knife, his eyes hardened into a glare. His lips quirked when he met my gaze.

"Hey, Wise Girl," he said casually. "Me first, or you?"

I caught on to his meaning right away and I smiled widely. "You can clean up."

He pouted. "You're no fun." With that, I knocked my head back into Hyperion's and elbowed him in the ribs.

Everything moved pretty fast from then on. I landed a kick to his ribs and Percy managed a few punches. At one point, Hyperion cut my hand with his - or rather my- knife, and I think his fist connected with Percy's nose at one point. There was a loud _crack_ right after that, so I suspected it might be broken. I won't bore you with the rest of the details, but we soon overpowered him.

" _I'll be fine,_ " Percy mimicked as he clocked Hyperion in the jaw. Once he'd doubled over, he proceeded to knee him in the face.

"Whatever. And, um, you aren't trying to kill him, right?" I asked cautiously, watching as Hyperion dropped to his knees.

"Maybe he deserves it," he answered, digging his heel into the older man's back.

"Percy, stop," I said, stepping forward and catching his next punch. "No one deserves death."

He looked up then, and his eyes met mine. "He hurt you," he said softly.

I patted his hand and gave him a small smile. "Hey, it's okay. I'm fine, alright? I'm _fine._ " I injected as much pleading into my voice as I could. I knew he had come close to murdering people before, and that he hated how he lost control sometimes. I remembered something that Luke had told me, back when I first met Percy.

 _His worst flaw is loyalty. He would do_ anything _for his gang. It's...dangerous, for someone like him._

He would do anything to protect those who he had allegiance to. When he hurt me, it was because he was protecting his gang. And now, he was trying to protect me.

He hesitated for a moment, his gaze flicking between Hyperion and I. I was vaguely aware of the others staring at us, but I pushed them out of my mind. He nodded, closing his eyes and standing up. Then, before I could stop him, his foot shot out and caught Hyperion in the temple. At my questioning glance, he only shrugged and leaned down over the presumably unconscious man.

"By the way?" He removed the knife from his hand and threw it down the hall. "No one calls her sweetheart except me."

It was dead silent, the only audible sound being that of our breathing. I bet on Thalia to break it first.

Sure enough, a minute later, she stomped right up to Percy and jabbed a finger at him. "You! What the hell were you thinking?" His eyebrows furrowed, clearly not understanding what she was asking. I didn't either, not really. "You're such an idiot!" I thought she might punch him. Then she did something that surprised me even more.

She threw her arms around him and hugged him. "Thanks for saving my friend, asshole."

He patted her back and smirked. "Thanks for the backup, bitch."

"Hey, you two looked like you had it covered. And speaking of you two," she started, her bright blue eyes turning to me. "Monday! I still want my explanation!"

That was when I lost it. I burst out laughing. "That just happened, and you're worried about where we were on Monday?"

"I am too, if it helps," Jason piped up, and he flashed a slightly sheepish smile. "Jackson, I still don't like you, but you _did_ just save Annabeth, so you can't be that bad."

Percy tilted his head towards me. "Hey, Chase, mind gettin' yourself in these situations more oft'n? Seems tha's the only way 'm gonna win over your friends." I noticed that his voice was beginning to sound funny. But I wrote it off when Thalia spoke again.

"And why would we need to be won over?" Thalia questioned, grinning slightly.

"Instead of letting Seaweed Brain here give what I'm sure would be an _excellent_ answer," I began sarcastically. "I'm really sorry for neglecting you guys as of late."

"Hey, don't worry about it. It was partially our fault too for, you know, hating him," Jason replied, nodding his head at Percy. "You can't say we didn't have good reason, though."

I opened my mouth to reply, but Percy beat me to it. "Hey, I used t' be an asshole. Hell, I still _am_ an asshole, jus' way less o' one."

"Hey, is your nose okay?" I asked suddenly, turning to face the dark haired boy. "It sounded like Hyperion might have broken it." I peered at his face, trying to determine whether his nose was damaged or not. It looked...almost perfectly straight. A little to the left, maybe. Which meant something was wrong, because I was certain it had been a tad to the right before.

"Wha? 'm fine," he said casually. Well, more like _tried_ to. His voice was muffled, the same pitch a persons voice acquires when they have a cold. I had _thought_ his vocie had sounded odd. My eyes narrowed and I quickly reached up and poked his nose. He visibly winced, but straightened right after. "Di' you ju-"

"It's broken," I announced. "You wouldn't have flinched if it wasn't."

"'Scuse me, 'm didn' fwinch."

"Fwinch," Thalia said mockingly. Percy shot her a glare.

"Dude, you flinched. Lady's right, but it's only a small break by the looks of it. I can probably reset it," Solace spoke up, reminding me of his presence. I was also reminded of the fact that Luke was lurking in the corner, watching everything play out with a slight frown. I watched him warily, because I was almost certain he might try and pull something.

Hylla spoke up for the first time. "Maybe you should leave it. His nose looks straighter than it has in years."

"Oh haha," Percy deadpanned. I stifled a laugh.

"Okay, so. This is gonna hurt," Solace started, placing his hands on either side of Percy's nose. The older boy scowled.

"No shit i's go-" Before he could finish his sentence, Solace jerked Percy's nose to the left. He flinched backwards, hands flying up to hold his face. "Fanks for th' warnin'."

"How eloquent, Jackson." I froze up at the sound of the unfamiliar voice. Who was here now? Didn't people know how to knock? Percy's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened slightly. Out of habit, I scanned the room, my gaze zeroing in on Luke. More specifically, the knife that had appeared in his right hand.

"Fuc' off, Kwonof," he muttered, crossing his eyes as he glared at his nose. "Stupid bweak." In another circumstances, I might've laughed. I might've found it cute. But laughing now somehow didn't seem like a viable option.

If you didn't catch it, that was sarcasm.

"Aw, look. You can't even swear at me properly." The man jerked a lazy thumb in Percy's direction, then grinned viciously at me. "Isn't he funny?"

"Yeah. Hilarious," I returned, shifting so I was side on to both Luke and the newcomer. I had a hunch that Luke wasn't here on a whim, and I didn't want to be caught off guard if I was proved right.

It didn't go unnoticed.

"This one's perceptive," he said, nodding to Luke curiously. "Why'd you kick her out of your gang?"

Luke gritted his teeth while I smirked. "She didn't leave, she quit."

"She must have good taste. Or not, it seems, since you insist on sticking around _this_ one," he directed the last comment to me, and glanced in Percy's direction. Percy's and my eyes rolled in unison, while Luke quietly seethed, the insult to him not going unnoticed. I was _so sick_ of hearing that.

"You don' know 'ow many times she's heard tha'," the raven haired teen muttered, tentatively touching his nose. His voice was still odd sounding, but it had less of an abnormal pitch now.

"Despite the questionable company you keep, I'm not here to lecture you about your friends."

"No, you on'y wanna convert her to your side," Percy mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for me to catch it.

If the man heard him, he didn't let on. "I'm Kronos, and I'm here to ask you all to join me in my quest to wage war upon the gangs," he began, and I felt my blood run cold when he pulled a dark object out of his jacket.

"It was you who who behind all of the vandalizing? The arson? The...the deaths?" Jason asked, his eyes dark. I remembered that Dakota had been a member of his gang, and if this Kronos guy was owning up to it, it not only cleared Percy's name but gave SPQR a new enemy. Somehow I didn't think having an entire gang after him would upset Kronos much.

"And you could rule Manhattan, if you decide to join my cause."

I was the first to speak against this. "Are you insane? No way in hell am I setting the gangs against each other."

"She's right, I don't need to rule New York, I already rule the Hunters," Thalia added, disgust showing clear in her tone. The others all muttered some form of agreement, excluding Luke. So I _had_ been right.

"Not convinced?" Kronos asked, tilting his head to one side. "What a shame. Maybe I'll just have to motivate you in...other ways."

With that, he raised the gun and pointed it right at my head.

 **Another chapter over. Another cliffhanger. But another long wait for the next update? I think not! Expect one more chapter this week, that's a guarantee, I swear on the Styx. Oh yes, I went there. Watch me prove myself right.**

 **Reviewer Replies:**

 **Dimitri Jinx - Thanks, I'm so glad you like it! Honestly, my updating schedule is anything but conventional, and it ranges from two chapters a day to one chapter every few months. As for Percabeth, well, you'll have to wait and see**

 **JC RH - Happy it didn't disappoint. I'm also glad you noticed the character development, because I've been trying to improve that. As for the suggestion, don't worry, I don't plan on it! I was considering it but then realized that I'd already done quite a bit of that and that was only to draw the story out, whereas now it's beginning to come to a close (I think)**

 **Cinder Luna - Thank the gods the wait didn't drive you off! The thing about my random-at-best updating schedule is that I probably lose a bunch of readers, since they get tired of waiting around for the next chapter. Great that you still like it!**

 **ReadingReader - Ohhhhh yes. Love them. Unless I'm the one reading, and the author doesn't update regularly (cough). This chapter doesn't disappoint in that regard, unfortunately for all you readers!**

 **Hopefully you liked this chapter, because I really enjoyed writing it. I don't have much to say, so 'til next time,**

 **HV**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N**

 **Who didn't break their promise? I didn't! The next chapter won't be here for a while, but I'll try to get over my writer's block and get it to you as quick as I can. In the meantime, here's the next chapter which isn't a month late! I guess miracles really do happen.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Annabeth's POV**

I swear in every situation where a gun was involved, it was always aimed at me. Frankly, I was tired of it. I hated being put in the position of a damsel in distress. I could hold my own in a fight, but guns...guns just made everything unfair.

"Why is it always _me_ with the gun at her head?" I questioned irritably, voicing my thoughts.

Kronos raised an eyebrow. "Well, you're the one most people here care about. You're the smartest option."

"That's a really messed up way of telling me I'm personable," I muttered darkly, eyeing the angle he had the gun aimed at. Somewhere between my forehead and chin. I was taught to always aim at a persons chest, because it's the biggest mass and it's easier to hit them. But with Kronos, I had no doubt that he didn't need to worry about that and could kill me with one shot at my temple.

"I've already ticked one Chase off my hit list. What would be one more to the mix?" I froze, fire running through my veins. _This_ was the lowlife who killed my mother?

I moved to rush at him, but he only motioned to the gun, causing me to pause. I had spent so long thinking about how I was going to make my mother's murderer pay. I had spent so long wondering who it could possibly be. And now the answer was standing right in front of me, and I couldn't hurt him. Even if he'd hurt my mother.

"You _monster_ ," I whispered, my eyes hardening into a glare. "You don't-"

A shot rang out, and I eyed the new hole in my floor warily.

"Back to my deal. Remember, I'm giving you a choice. Chase doesn't have to get hurt if you join my cause. Luke," he called out, and the blond boy stepped up and settled in between Solace and Hylla, holding up his knife pointedly.

"Luke, you traitor!" Thalia spat at him, taking a step towards him. Luke merely smirked and gestured towards me, causing Thalia to stop dead in her tracks. "Oh, this is stupid. I'm not joining you, you despicable dickhead."

"Neither am I. Guys, if the gangs are at war, well, you've seen what it's been like the past week. It's only going to get far, far worse," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. I'd gotten pretty used to standing in front of a gun, and I was strangely unafraid. "Just get out of here."

"We're not leaving you," Jason and Percy said in sync. For once, they didn't scowl at each other because of the exchange.

Hylla, who had barely spoken a word, decided to voice her opinion. "Kronos, let her go and we'll negotiate then."

"I don't know this chick, but that sounds like a good idea," Solace said nervously, cautiously eyeing the knife dangerously close to his throat. In response, Kronos fired a shot that just barely missed my shoulder.

"JOIN ME!" He bellowed, and I began to realize that the man may be slightly unstable. Unstable meant unpredictable, and unpredictable meant dangerous. "This is real! If you don't, the girl dies! Why do you think I brought you all here? Hyperion was supposed to take care of this. If you say no, I'll kill you myself and that'll be enough to trigger a domino effect."

The sickening realization hit me with full force. It would be easy enough to make it look like we'd all been fighting each other. It would be easy to drive the gangs even further apart. Two buildings had already been set on fire, what would happen next if Kronos had his way?

But none of us were going to give in. That much was clear. We'd fight our way out, just as we always did, and everything would be okay. It _had_ to be okay.

"Fine." My eyes whipped in Percy's direction. So did everyone else's.

"What?"

His eyes met mine, and I saw no trace of sarcasm. "I'll go with you, if we get out of here right now. Pretty sure the blonde kid called the police." My eyebrows furrowed. What was he doing? Was he being serious? No way.

"Castellan! I told you to watch them," Kronos said in disgust, and Luke raised his hands in surrender.

"Jackson's lying! He didn't do anything, I swear. On the Styx," he added. I hadn't heard that phrase in a while. I noticed curiously that Hylla was no longer in sight. She had stayed quiet for the most part, which I supposed had made it easy for her to slip away. "Why're you so quick to believe him, anyway?"

"Because I know he doesn't care about anyone and he has no reason to defend these people. No matter what they might think," the older man replied, grinning at me in a way that made me want to throw up. I kept my eyes glued to the weapon, which Kronos had significantly loosened his grip on.

"This Castellan dude? He's a lousy guard. Cops should be here in five minutes, tops," Solace interrupted. My eyebrows shot up at his words. Percy's face was blank. Which was odd, because there was always some kind of emotion on his face. Confusion, amusement, anger, anything. But now, there was nothing.

Thalia glared at Percy, but didn't make a move towards him. Probably because Kronos would shoot her as soon as she tried. "What the hell are you doing?"

Percy's eyes flashed, and he pressed his lips together. "You don't have the right to ask me that, Grace."

"No more right than I do! How long have you been working with him?" Jason exclaimed, just as angry as his sister. I kept quiet.

"Nobody else wants to follow Jackson's example?" The man's eyes narrowed as if considering something for the first time. "Castellan, where did the dark haired girl go?"

Luke's head turned to his left, his mouth opening to undoubtedly ask what Kronos was talking about. His mouth closed when he saw that she was missing. "I don't..." He seemed to hesitate, knowing that no matter what he said, he would still be to blame.

"Whatever. You and Jackson follow me. As for the rest of you..." He trailed off, casting a thoughtful gaze over the group. Then he pointed the gun at the ground, fired a shot, and brought it back up to my head. I saw both Grace's jump, and Solace looked spooked, too. I was the only one who hadn't had any reaction. I was too busy staring at the floor, trying to process a million questions all at once.

Why was Percy going with him? Which one of us was he lying to? I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it seemed like he was ditching us to, what, exactly? Add fuel to the already rapidly growing fire of the war between the gangs? Something of that magnitude could easy interfere with normal life, and could get more people involved than there already were.

"Well, I'll just have to try again later. Bye, now!" He kept his gun trained on me as he backed out of the door, the two boys positioned on either side of him. Just before he was out of sight, I raised a hand and flipped him the bird. I could hear his laughter as he retreated from the house.

I was confused. Why would he let us go, just like that? He must have had some ulterior motive.

Without the threat of a bullet to my head, I tried to relax. Didn't work. I let my head drop into my hands.

"Who does he think he is?" I tuned in to Jason and Thalia's irritated conversation.

"For a moment there, I thought he might be decent. But then he goes and does _that!_ "

"Right? And then-"

"Hey, are you okay?" I lifted my head and saw Solace standing in front of me.

"I'm fine." My voice was hollow even to me. He gave me a sympathetic look, then picked up my knife from across the room. I raised an eyebrow as he handed it to me.

He shrugged. "Thought you might feel better with a weapon. Not so defenseless," he added. Then, "I don't think he really wanted to do that."

"No?" I wasn't in the mood to have a conversation, but I was okay with just letting him talk. I might have been just the tiniest bit curious as to what he had to say.

"No," he repeated, shaking his head slightly. "I think he did it so Kronos would stop pointing that gun at you."

"How would you know that?"

"I might not have known him for very long, but the entire time we were staking out the front of this place? He barely stopped talking about you, and how he was going to kill Ares if you found out what they were making us do. Somehow, that doesn't seem like something he'd say if he didn't care."

I gave a halfhearted shrug. "Maybe he was lying. We can't prove it."

The corners of his lips quirked up, and I had the feeling he was about to suggest something crazy. I was proved right seconds later.

"Maybe we can. How good are your tracking skills?"

 **Percy's POV**

I shoved my hands into my pockets as I walked along, kicking the pavement every few seconds. My head was down as I silently followed Luke and Kronos. I was alone with a couple of the people I hated most. Joy. I was contemplating when I should make my getaway.

I'd only met Kronos once before, but that one memory of him had forever stuck in my mind.

I was thirteen at the time. It happened back when Gabe was still married to my mom. It was the reason I'd come to hate Christmas. Or rather, _he_ was.

 _Christmas. Most kids loved it. Most_ people _, full stop. But me, I was one of the few that didn't. Maybe that was cynical for an eleven year old, but Gabe's new friend had ensured that my memories of the holiday would be forever tainted, turned dark._

 _I had just come home from a walk. Maybe it was more pointless idling than actual walking, but I'd just wanted to get out. A bunch of Gabe's friends were over, and I was hoping that most of them would have left by now. And I was right, that was proved when I opened the front door and only heard two hushed voices._

 _I breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully it wouldn't be too bad. Mom would already be asleep, and maybe it would be easy to sneak past the adults._

 _I was wrong._

 _The minute I stepped into the apartment, the floorboards creaked underneath my feet. I swore under my breath. My nose curled in disgust at the stench of alcohol._

 _"That you, punk? Get in here, now!" I rolled my eyes as I rounded the corner to the living room. Gabe was sprawled across the sofa. I never understood why my mom had married him. She said she had reasons, reasons I wouldn't understand until I was older. I didn't see how anything could justify staying with an abusive, lazy pig._

 _Another man was standing by the poker table. He was staring at me curiously, almost wickedly. I'd never seen him here before, and he didn't look like one of Gabe's typical buddies. He looked smart, alert. It unsettled me, and I quickly averted my gaze._

 _"Where's your change, freak?" I swallowed. I'd spent it on the streets about an hour ago. The bag of cashews was the first thing I'd eaten in twenty four hours._

 _"I don't have any."_

 _Gabe's lips curled into a sneer. "Spend it all on yourself again, you selfish loser?" It had been my hard earned money in the first place, but I held my tongue. I didn't want to further aggravate him. It wouldn't get me anywhere._

 _To my surprise, he didn't hit me. He didn't even get off of the sofa._

 _"You better have it tomorrow." Was the last thing he said before his head lolled back and his eyes shut. He'd passed out. Not that I was surprised, because it happened all the time. I should have felt relieved, because that meant he couldn't hurt me. But instead, my attention was focused on the other man, who hadn't made a move since I'd entered the room. For some reason, I felt nervous._

 _He finally spoke. "Percy, right?" I didn't trust myself to speak, so I just nodded. "I'm Kronos."_

 _I swallowed. "Cool."_

 _He barked a laugh. "You know, Gabe talks about how he treats you sometimes."_

 _"Oh, yeah?" Was this guy going to offer to help?_

 _I resisted the urge to step back as he began walking towards me. "Yeah. Sounds like you're a real pain in the ass. Always fighting him, stealing his things, lying to him. Maybe I should teach you a lesson."_ _I took that as my warning, and began edging backwards._

 _"Maybe I should find a more qualified teacher," I mumbled, and Kronos chuckled._

 _"A smartass, too, huh? Check your attitude, kid."_

 _"What do you want? Gabe's out, you can go."_

 _"I could, sure," he said, and my back hit the wall. I was trapped. "As for what I want? I'm planning to use you one day, Percy, and for that, you need to be able to withstand a little pain."_

 _"If Gabe talks about me all the time, shouldn't you know about my pain tolerance?" I was trying to stall, trying to get him to back off. I was scared now. When Gabe was hurting me, at least I knew him, knew his limits. But this guy...he could be trying to kill me, for all I knew._

 _"You think the odd punch or two is pain?" Kronos hissed, grabbing my shoulder. I stared at his hands in alarm._

 _"What are you doing?" I asked, startled. "Get off of me, you-" My insult morphed into a muffled yell when he jerked my shoulder forward. I heard a loud_ crack _and black spots dotted my vision as pain exploded in my arm._

 _"Dislocated. I'd better fix it." With a psychotic grin, he yanked my shoulder back, and something resembling a squawk escaped my lips._

 _"Try fix this one on your own," he said, and grabbed a hold of one of my fingers. I was too shocked, too numb to fight back. So I let him dislocate my finger. I let him walk away. All I could do was sink to the floor, cradling my injured hand. I wasn't paying attention to him anymore._

 _I barely even heard him when he called over his shoulder, "I'll see you next year!"_

 _I don't think I fully registered it even when he showed up next Christmas Eve. Or the year after that._

 _Christmas Eve. Most kids went to sleep happy, giddy, eagerly awaiting the next day._

 _Me? I went to sleep with a disjointed finger, knowing that all tomorrow would bring was the stench of beer._

I'd spent the rest of the night trying to put my finger back into place. While it wasn't my most painful memories, it was still one of my worst. Ever since then, I'd hid whenever Gabe had even mentioned Kronos, not wanting another encounter. That had proved futile the following years, when he'd stabbed me in the ankle and broken my nose. Over the years, my fear had gradually turned into hatred, but that didn't mean I'd abandoned all of my former feelings. Right now, I was terrified.

Not that I'd let him see it.

We turned a corner into a dark, secluded alley. There were an abundance of those in New York. Kronos spun suddenly, coming face to face with me, and I barely had the time to register his grin before his fist connected with my face. I stumbled, my back hitting the wall. My hands flew up to cradle my jaw. That was definitely going to bruise.

"Do you really think I'm stupid enough to believe you?" Kronos scoffed, delivering a kick to my stomach that caused me to double over. Followed by a blow to the back of my head, sending me tumbling to the concrete. I could have gotten in a few good hits, if I had wanted to. But the truth was, my body had gone into shock. It was like I was reliving the terror I'd felt years ago.

"You only came with us because you didn't want _her_ getting hurt." It was true, so I didn't contradict him. Couldn't, even if I wanted to.

"All these years you've managed to avoid me, Percy. It's been a while, wouldn't you say?"

Finally, I found my voice. "What do you want, Kronos?"

He barked a laugh. "What do I want? More like what _Dionysus_ wants. He was the one who told me to get rid of you." I felt my blood run cold. _Get rid_ of me? "I'm just enjoying this while it lasts."

Luke must've caught the confused expression on my face. "Said you aren't reliable anymore. I wonder why, huh?"

My head was spinning, and it wasn't because Kronos had just sent his spiked boot into my face. Why would Dionysus want to have me killed? I mean, okay, so I'd missed a couple meetings. Big deal. He could just demote me, or kick me out, or do a number of other things. But _kill_ me? That was insane.

Then another thought occurred to me, and I scrambled to avoid an oncoming fist, leaning on the wall for support.

"You started the fight, right? Between the gangs?" My words came out slow and slurred, but Kronos seemed to understand them anyway.

"Do you know what that could accomplish? It could bring about the destruction of the city, if played right." His eyes were gleaming, and his words seemed slightly... _psychotic._ The idea was ridiculous, but knowing this city, things _did_ have potential to go wrong very, very fast.

"Why would you want that?" If I played for time, maybe, just maybe, someone would walk past and see the scene unfolding. Maybe they'd call the police.

Or maybe I really would die here.

"The gangs would fall apart. Civilization would fall apart. And I could step in and take over," Kronos explained, pulling a knife from inside his boot and examining it.

"That's stupid," I muttered.

"Do you know what's cool about this knife?" I shook my head. "It's the same one I used on your ankle."

I remembered the blade piercing through my skin, the excruciating pain that had flared in my ankle. The same excruciating pain I had lived with for almost a year. The infections, because I hadn't taken care of it properly. For a brief moment, I could almost feel it. I'd been thirteen. Just before I'd joined the gang.

Out of the corner of my hazy vision, I saw Luke's eyebrows arch. I coughed.

"But you probably think that injury was nothing. Nothing compared to what I'm about to do," Kronos said, his eyes dancing as he crouched beside me. The scar he had left was more emotional than physical, and I was certain he knew it. Now he wanted to put that into reverse.

I didn't scream when the blade pierced my stomach. I didn't shout when he jerked it up. It wouldn't kill me instantly, but I knew that that was the point. I would be left here, and hours later, I would die. It was about one in the morning, so not many people would be walking through here. No one would find me in time.

He dug the knife in a little further, so it would stay lodged in my flesh, then stared down at me. My vision was blurring, the edges tinting black.

"I hope it hurts," Kronos whispered in my ear, then stood up and turned to Luke. "Castellan, you can either finish him or walk away. We continue our plan tomorrow." He sent one final glance at me. "You know, I really did have big plans for you. But you've proved to be more useful this way." My eyes flickered shut as he left, and I felt my consciousness drifting. I'd been fighting the urge to pass out for a while, and it was becoming tempting to just let it take me. But I knew that if I gave in, I might not wake up.

"I never really hated you, you know." My lids stayed closed, but my curiosity piqued at Luke's words. "It was just so easy to pretend I did. Really, it was Kronos who told me to go to the Titan base the night of your initiation. It was him who told me to try to kill you.

"I've made mistakes. I don't really want to see Manhattan annihilate itself, I just wanted revenge. And...and that was wrong. You managed to turn yourself around pretty quickly, so maybe...maybe I can do the same."

I was barely understanding his words, but _I can do the same_ stuck in my brain. They looped over and over, until they didn't make all that much sense anymore.

"I'm sorry, Percy." He sighed, then I heard footsteps, growing fainter with each step. He must've left me.

I knew I was going to die. But despite that, I wanted to fight it. I wanted to see if I could cheat death one last time. I could still feel the pain, which I knew was a good sign. If I could still feel it, that meant I wasn't dead.

The Fates had abandoned me plenty of times before. More than plenty. But they must have realized they'd messed with me a little too often, because next thing I knew, I heard voices. Footfalls. Someone had found me after all. I even thought I heard a siren in the distance.

"Percy!" I felt someone shaking my shoulders, their hands on my face. "Open your eyes, Percy. Come on, stay with me. You are _not_ dying on me yet."

I recognized the voice. How could I not? I forced my eyes to open slightly before they clamped shut again. It was enough to draw a sigh of relief from her.

"Oh thank gods! Thalia, I saw an ambulance pull up across the street, go get them. Will, you go with her. Jason, you're going to need to pull out the knife."

Annabeth was here. She was going to help me. I wasn't going to die.

I felt a slight pressure on the knife. "This is going to hurt, but you're going to be okay, alright? You're going to be okay." Someone gripped my hand in theirs, and I thought that Annabeth was trying to convince herself more than me that I'd be okay. I gave a faint nod.

I was on fire. The new surge of pain caused me to gasp, and my eyes shot open. I could barely see through the darkness threatening to steal my sight, but I caught a glimpse of blonde hair and a shaky smile.

"You're okay. We're okay." New voices were assaulting my ears, but I didn't really register them. I focused my eyes on Annabeth, who was watching Jason, whose mouth was moving but I couldn't hear the words. My vision blacked out completely, then faded back in.

I was struggling to stay awake. Gray eyes glanced back at me, and my head lolled. She steadied me, and I tried for a smile. Failed. So I went for the next best thing.

"'M love you, 'nnabeth."

Then my world went black.

 **Ha...ha...it's another cliffhanger! Who saw that one coming, huh? I'm beginning to think it would be more surprising for me to just end on a normal, non-suspenseful note. I'll try it next time, maybe.**

 **Reviewer Replies:**

 **Dimitri Jinx - Here's yet another cliffy for you. As for you holding me to my word, I hope you're proud! I'm glad you liked it, that was actually one of the parts I was unsure if I'd written well or not, so that's good to hear. Maybe I should try cutting Percy some slack in future chapters, huh?**

 **\- Oh gods, I don't know if I'd go as far to say that, but I'm really happy you think so! i'm glad my grammar's good, because I'm somewhat of a grammar Nazi. As for the secondary characters, I _have_ been meaning to talk about them more, but just got carried away with everything else, so thanks for the reminder. I promise I'll try to work on that. As for the flashback, well, I already had it in here, and I thought why not change it slightly to fit the festive theme? Hope you liked it!**

 **Bye for now, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Until next time,**

 **HV**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N**

 **HV's back with another chapter! I'm pretty sure this one's a bit longer, so hopefully it'll do until the next update. Also, there's a question at the bottom so I'd appreciate it if you let me know what your opinion on it is!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Annabeth's POV**

"You want to _what?_ "

I thought yesterday had been challenging enough. But now the boy standing in front of me was only making things even harder.

"I want to help you," he repeated earnestly. "Please, Annabeth. I know I've screwed up, but I really do want to fix things."

"You had your chance to _fix things_ a long time ago. You didn't take it," I replied stubbornly, my scowl never faltering.

A hint of irritation flashed in his eyes, but to my surprise he didn't snap at me. Instead, he brought up a subject far worse. "If it weren't for me, Jackson would be _dead._ _I'm_ the one who called the ambulance. Why would I do that if I didn't want to help you?"

I flinched. Sucked in a breath. Puffed out my cheeks, then slowly exhaled. I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to trust him.

 _He was right._

The paramedics had said so themselves.

"You know I'm right. C'mon, Annie, I know all of the inside information! I know how to beat him!"

"Yes, Luke, but you were also _on the inside."_

"But remember, I saved Per-"

"Stop!" I exclaimed, drawing the attention of several others in the waiting room. I looked away and lowered my voice. "Stop bringing that up. I don't want to talk about it." Luke nodded, taking a few steps back. Giving me space. I would, too, if I were him. Especially after last night's meltdown.

 _It had been approximately nineteen hours since we'd found him in the alley. Nineteen hours and roughly twenty seven minutes. So I was counting. Sue me._

 _I thought I was doing fine. I was worried, and felt like I was going to throw up. I was permanently on the verge of tears, but I held them back. Jason, Thalia and Will had noticed, but they didn't comment. Then_ he _had to walk through the doors._

 _The second I spotted Luke, I froze. When he began walking towards us, I freaked._

 _"Hey, A-"_

 _"_ You! _" I shouted, storming towards him and cocking my fist. "You nearly_ killed _him, you bastard!" I let my fist fly, and it hit him square in the jaw. He didn't react, his eyes downcast. "Look at me! You." Punch. "Almost." Slap. "_ Killed him! _" Kick._

 _Before I could hit him again, Jason and Thalia were there, holding me back. I struggled to break free of their grip. Luke had been a part of the attempted murder, and I wanted justice. I wanted_ vengeance _. White hot rage flared, and for a short instant, I wanted to kill him._

 _"I'm sorry, I didn't-"_

 _"NO!" I screamed, slamming my hand into his chest again. "It's your fault, you jerk!"_

 _"Annabeth, calm down. It's okay," Thalia murmured in my ear. I shook my head, barely registering her words._

 _"No, no it's not! Luke...Luke helped to-to..."_

 _"He's not worth it," Jason added, trying to console me. As if a switch had been flipped, my anger melted away. My knees buckled, and if Thalia and Jason weren't there, I would have fallen to the floor._

 _Tears welled once again, and I finally let them fall. I was causing a scene, I knew, but right then I didn't care. I just wanted him to be okay. He'd only been in my life for such a short time, but he'd managed to become a significant part of it. And now it was looking as though he wouldn't make it, and he would be yet another person I couldn't afford to lose._

 _Luke looked both extremely confused and uncomfortable. "Um, is she-?"_

 _"Don't," Thalia warned him, her expression darkening. "Just...if you want to talk to her, come back tomorrow."_

 _"I-" He hesitated, then glanced down at me and nodded. "Okay."_

 _As he walked away, Thalia knelt down in front of me. "You okay, Annie?"_

 _"Yeah," I gulped, sniffing. "Just f-fine."_

After that, I had locked myself in a bathroom stall and refused to come out for about an hour, not wanting anyone else to see me or the state I was in.

"You say you want to help. Define _help,_ " I said slowly. Luke's eyes lit up.

"Okay, so Kronos wants to set everyone against each other, right? Well, yesterday he told...uh..." He stuttered over his words, and I bit my lip, trying to push down the anger.

"What did Kronos tell him?" I asked impatiently.

"That Dionysus wanted him dead. But that's not true, he only wanted to start a conflict within the Half Bloods, tear them apart from the inside," Luke explained quickly, avoiding my eyes. "But that won't happen in the time frame he wants it to, and he told me his backup plan was you."

"Me?"

His gaze finally found mine. "Yeah. Pit you against Dionysus, start it that way. Judging by how angry you were at me, it probably would have worked, too."

My temper spiked at his words, but I tamped it down. "So what do you propose I do?"

"Nothing," he replied simply, taking a seat in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs littering the room. I gaped at him.

"What do you mean, _nothing?_ " I asked. "That's ridiculous. We need to hunt him down and make him regret ever messing with me-"

"You're making it personal. You don't want to do that, because then he'll use it to get under your skin. That's what he did to me," he informed me, crossing one leg over the other. "We wait him out, then he'll get so annoyed by the lack of progress he'll take it upon himself to make a move. And that's when we close in."

His idea made a lot of sense, aside from the lack of details. And if I was being honest with myself, I needed a few days of downtime. Though it seemed that every time I had a few days off, something majorly awful happened.

"Besides, if we wait a couple of days then hopefully Percy will wake up-" He realized his mistake when my left eye twitched. "Ah, sorry."

I had avoided talking about Percy all day so far, and the only thing that had disrupted that had been Luke. I didn't know why, but I felt like I'd been struck by lightning every time I heard his name. No one had bothered to update us on how he was doing, despite the many times I'd seen Jason ask, and the not knowing was slowly driving me insane. Every time I heard his name or looked at my friends, all I saw was him crumpled against the wall, bruised and bloodied, on the verge of death. The image had been haunting me all night, and I'd barely gotten any sleep.

I was a ticking time bomb, and everyone was just waiting until I went off again. I didn't blame them, not really. But that didn't mean that it wasn't getting on my nerves.

I hadn't talked all morning until Luke had shown up again. Now I wished that I'd sent Thalia instead.

"So we wait. And do what in the meantime, exactly?" I inquired tersely.

Luke grinned slightly. "Annabeth, you're a teenager. Go do something normal teenagers do."

"I am _not_ a normal teenager, in case you hadn't noticed," I bit back.

He raised his eyebrows. "You're getting snappy. Get Thalia to take you somewhere, wherever, just do something instead of stressing."

An idea formed in my mind. Maybe...maybe I _could_ go do something, just this once. But what if I missed an update on Percy? Luke seemed to read my mind because he nodded to the reception desk.

"I'll stay here with the others. If anything happens, I'll get Jason or Sally or Thalia to call you. Now, shoo," he said, motioning with his hands for me to go away. I walked away slowly, retreating to the corner where three teens were eyeing me anxiously.

"I-" Before I could get another syllable out, my phone vibrated.

STARBUCKS. RIGHT NOW, LIFE OR DEATH

Jason peered over my shoulder to see what was on my screen and grinned.

"Go hang out with Leo. You haven't talked to him in ages," he paused. "He can probably cheer you up."

Will piped up. "Hey, mind if I come? I need to get outta this place, stat."

I hesitated, but Jason caught it and raised an eyebrow at me. "Annabeth, go. Thalia and I are the only ones who need to stay anyway, since we've got the same blood type as him."

"Fine," I gave in. "But you have to keep me updated, and if anything bad happens, I'm the first to know. Got it?"

He nodded, an amused smile on his face. "I got it. _Go_ , Annabeth."

"Goodbye to you, too."

"Do we know which Starbucks we're going to?" Will asked once we were outside the hospital.

"There's one next to Leo's work. We always…used to meet up there. Haven't done it in a while," I commented, feeling a pinch of guilt. I'd been the one who hadn't been showing. The others probably still met there every week.

"It's not your fault, you know. You've been pretty occupied."

"Yeah, but I was the one who caused all the problems. Or, my actions," I added thoughtfully, pointing around the next corner. We turned, and Will raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, let's say you're right. You've come out of it with a new friend, and you fixed the rift with the others. That's not bad," he pointed out. Maybe he was right. I had made an amazing friend, though I'd originally never seen it coming. And maybe I'd helped Percy out, too.

"Everyone's spent the past thirty hours trying to convince me I'm okay, and frankly? I appreciate the effort, but I think I'm done talking about me," I said, and Will nodded in understanding. "What about you? How's...school?"

"Did you really just ask me that?" He asked, mock condescendingly.

"Humor me," I answered simply.

"I mean, it's okay, I guess. I'm good in Biology. Barely passing English. Excelling in Calculus." He scuffed his shoe on the ground as he walked. "I'd like to be a doctor, when I'm older."

"That's cool. I can help you with English, if you want," I offered half-heartedly.

"That'd actually be really good. I need to keep my grades up for med school," he paused, shaking his head. "We're doing Shakespearean. Who even needs to know that?"

I snorted. "Who knows? Maybe one day you'll get yourself into a life or death situation and the only way to save yourself is to explain the difference between _thy_ and _thine._ "

He froze and stared at me with exaggerated horror. "You mean there _is_ a difference?"

"And that would be why you're failing," I commented, drawing a smile out of him. We walked for another five minutes in a comfortable silence before he spoke again.

"How far away is this Starbucks?"

I nodded across the street. Just over there. It looks like Piper's here too." The dark haired girl was pushing open the door to the bustling shop.

When we walked in, it took a while to locate Leo and Piper. Every table was packed to the max, and I was worried there wouldn't be any free seats. My nerves faded when I spotted Leo arguing with one of the workers.

"Listen, pal, I've got one more person coming, and therefore need this chair," he was saying irritably.

The worker looked no less frustrated. "Sir, you've got two spare chairs. Surely another table can have one-"

"Her friend's probably coming as well. Oh look, here they are!" Leo gave me an exaggerated wave, which I returned with a wide smile.

"Sorry about my friend, but we really do need those chairs. It's a bit of an emergency," I told the guy, faking sheepishness. He looked ticked off, but chose not to comment and walked away, muttering under his breath.

I shot an exasperated glance at Leo as I sat down, motioning for Will to do the same. "You just can't stay out of trouble, can you?"

"What can I say? It's a talent." He eyed Will cautiously. "When Jason said you were bringing someone, I was expecting someone else."

Will winced slightly. "Yeah, he definitely won't be showing up any time soon."

I sent an elbow into his ribs. "Well, this is Will. Will, this is Leo and Piper," I introduced quickly. "So why is us being here a matter of life and death?"

Leo gave a hesitant grin. Leo, hesitating? "It's, uh, to do with your _scene_ , shall I say?" He looked in Will's direction, which sank my spirits immediately. Whatever he wanted to say, it wasn't going to be good.

"He can hear it. He's almost as deep in this as I am." Leo didn't look convinced, but he nodded anyway.

"I was walking past the, uh, old SPQR place, and I may have heard a couple people talking. I heard a few... certain names mentioned and I was curious, so I kind of, well, eavesdropped," he admitted. I had a good idea of who he meant by 'certain names'. "Long story short, this guy named Octavian is working with someone called Kronos. Or Hyperion. No, it was Kronos, he was cursing Hyperion for being a douche.

"There was this other guy he was talking to, and he was more reluctant. I'd say he didn't like this Octavian guy. Said he wanted to stop something."

Will and I exchanged a glance. He probably had no clue who Octavian was, but I had a vague impression. Him working with Kronos wasn't good. They were both smart and unpredictable, which made for a dangerous combination.

"Did you catch this other guys name?" Will asked, drumming his fingers on the table anxiously.

Leo scratched his forehead. "It started with N. Nick? No, it was…"

"Nico?"

"Yeah!" He shot a glance between Will and I. "You know him?"

"Oh, yeah," Will muttered. I simply nodded, wondering how the younger boy knew him. They were around the same age, so it made sense they might be acquainted.

I remembered how he'd asked me about Percy, weeks ago. My stomach dropped. Leo had said Nico wanted to stop something. Maybe he wanted to stop Kronos' plan.

Which meant he was in on it.

Which meant he was probably asking about Percy for Kronos.

I turned to Will, who was staring intently at the table. "We have to find him."

"Yeah," he replied quietly. I frowned. I hadn't known him for very long, but Will didn't strike me as the quiet and brooding type.

He grinned slightly, shaking his head. "You were supposed to be having a break from that stuff." Right then, finding Nico was a much higher priority than me having a break.

I sent him a cynical smile in return. "Nothing ever lasts in my life. Why should a break be any different?"

…

"You're certain he'll be here?"

"Positive."

"You said that about the last two places," I reminded him. "Maybe we should just go back to the hospital and tell the others what Leo told us."

"I had three places in mind, and this is the last. If he's not here, we'll go back. I promise. But for now, can we please check?"

I shrugged, carefully stepping over a fish carcass plastered to the decaying timber. "Whatever. But can we make it quick? This place stinks. And I thought Percy's room was bad." I rolled my eyes at the look Will gave me. "I've been staying at his place, of course I've seen his room." He raised his eyebrows. "Just stop, okay? You're taking everything out of context."

"Whatever." In a last desperate attempt to find Nico, Will had brought us to where his mother's old boat was docked. He'd used a past tense when talking about her, and I felt a pang of sympathy for the boy. Even if he potentially helped out Kronos. No one deserves to lose a parent.

The dock was filthy, and it looked like not many people visited the area. I couldn't see or hear anyone else.

"So, how do you know him again?" I asked absentmindedly as I glanced around. The sea looked gray and unforgiving as it crashed against the pier. We had spent ages trying to travel here, so it would be a waste of time if Nico wasn't here.

Although I wasn't sure I'd be doing much if I was back at the hospital, so maybe it wasn't all that bad having the mini roadtrip.

"Our sisters went to the same camp and became friends. We met through them," he explained, taking a shaky step onto the deck of the boat. "His sister, Bianca, isn't around anymore. His dad bolted as soon as she died."

"That...sucks." I saw no other way to say it. "I mean, I've only ever met my dad, what, four times? So even though he's a deadbeat, it's not like I was emotionally attached. But knowing him, having him in my life for so long, then him running away? That would be awful."

"Yeah. That's why he drifts from place to place. He even crashed at mine for a while," Will said as he led me around the deck. "He used to tell me these acted as the front doors, so I'll just... knock, I guess."

"Go for it," I said. It was a really nice boat, despite the less than satisfactory environment. With a decent wash, it would look as good as new.

We waited silently after Will knocked on the door. He had nothing to say, and I kept my questions bottled up. I didn't want to pry.

The door opened far too soon, in my eyes. I had no idea what I wanted to say. No idea how to phrase what I wanted to ask.

Nico's eyebrows shot up when he saw us. "How did you find me and why are you here?"

"Well hello to you too," Will said sarcastically. "Firstly, you love this place, despite its grossness. Second, we have questions and you have answers."

"I would say I'm surprised, but I'm really not. I guess you guys should come in."

I had to admit, it was a hell of a lot nicer inside the boat than the dock implied. What with the fish guts and litter everywhere. But it was incredibly clean.

Nico must've seen my expression. "It's all I've got left. May as well take care of it." I couldn't argue with that.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush. I want you to answer honestly, okay?" Nico nodded. "Are you working with Kronos?"

"No," he replied automatically. Almost too quickly to be casual. My eyes narrowed.

"Don't lie. People are going to get hurt, hell, people already are hurt!" I exclaimed. "And that's only going to get worse if we can't stop it! Which we can only do if you stop lying."

"Annabeth, chill. Nico, let me rephrase that. Were you working with Kronos?" Will asked calmly.

"I-" The dark haired boy sent me a sideways glance, then sighed. "Okay, yeah. I was. But I swear I'm trying to stop him now. Dude's insane."

"Okay. So-"

"Were you asking about Percy because Kronos wanted to know?" I interrupted, my glare hardening.

He looked taken aback. "Not Kronos. It was... something else. For someone else."

"Who?!"

"Octavian. Him and Luke, they wanted to... they said they only wanted to talk to him. So I helped them. But then…" He shuddered. "They showed up with sedatives and a gun, and I left soon after Percy got there."

I racked my brain, trying to figure out how long ago it had happened. "When was this?"

"It was exactly a week ago on Friday." What had happened on Friday? We'd headed up to Montauk on Saturday, and that had been the morning we'd been at the police station, and-

"You helped with that?" I felt the anger kicking in. In the back of my mind, it occurred to me how quickly everything was happening. It was crazy. "Oh, you are-"

"Annabeth!" Will shouted. "What's done is done. What matters is what he chooses to do now."

"Will, you can't expect me to be okay with him! For all I know, he's the reason Percy is in hospital!"

"He's in hospital?" Nico repeated curiously. I shot him a venomous glare.

"Yes!" I was almost yelling now. "Because he thought Kronos was going to shoot me, even though that goes against hostage strategy, and he just had to go and get stabbed by him! And then he...he just…" I closed my eyes, sucking in a breath. "Yes, he's in hospital."

"Are you okay?" I resisted the urge to snap at him.

"I have moments where I'm not. Like right now, for example."

Will was watching the two of us warily, as if he expected me to attack the younger boy. Nico rubbed his face.

"I didn't mean for any of that to happen. I just... I was angry. Kronos is persuasive."

I let out a laugh. "That's exactly what Luke said. So, you're going to help us out too, huh?"

He frowned. "I mean, I want to. If Luke's helping you, then maybe we have a chance. But we'll have to do something soon."

"What do you mean?"

"Kronos wants to set things into motion in a few days. My guess is Thursday. He's going to do something big, something he never told anyone about. We need to find out what it is." I flashed back to what Luke's advice had been.

Absolutely nothing. We wait him out, then strike when he gets fed up with waiting.

One of them was lying. Or one of them had been misinformed. But either way, it couldn't hurt to take Nico's advice.

If we did something now, it wouldn't be awful if it led up to nothing.

If we did nothing and Luke was wrong, even more people could get hurt.

"We find out what he's doing, then," I conceded, causing both boys to look up at me in surprise. "But first, we go back to the hospital. I think I need a rest from this so-called break."

…

As we walked back, Nico and Will trailed behind, talking in hushed voices. I wasn't bothered enough to eavesdrop, so I wandered ahead.

Just as we reached the hospital, Will sped up and fell into step with me. I raised an eyebrow, to which he shrugged. I cast a glance over my shoulder and saw Nico scowling, a frown etched onto his face. I decided not to question it.

Jason was the only one in the waiting room when we arrived. I bee-lined right for him.

"He's okay?"

"He's okay," he answered, then peered over my shoulder. He frowned when he saw Nico. "Is that...di Angelo?"

I nodded quickly, motioning for Will to join us. "Says he wants to help us. Will, you know Nico the best. Do you think he's lying?"

His eyebrows drew together and he chewed his lip. "I don't think so. But you don't trust him, do you?"

"I don't think we can _afford_ to trust him," I answered. "We don't know whether Nico or Luke are lying. Which means it's up to us three, plus Thalia. We have to track down Kronos, then stop whatever it is that he's planning. And I think I know how to do it."

Both boys stared at me with curiosity. Jason was the first to speak. "What's your idea?"

I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Have you ever heard of the phrase, if you can't beat them, join them?"

"You don't mean-"

"Yeah. We need a double agent."

 **I'm back! And thank gods for offline mode on Docs, because without it, this would've taken another month. So, this was an all Annabeth chapter, but it's going to go back to two POV's in chapter 31.**

 **Reviewer Replies:**

 **Dimitri Jinx - I'm a bad person, I know. I should really give him a break. And of course, what with him unconscious, we don't get to know whether he actually meant it or not. Damn, I'm evil. There's gonna be another rather intense chapter coming up in the near future, so watch out for that. I'm proud of me too, and I've now learnt my lesson not to make promises about update dates. As for the secondary characters, well, there's definitely going to be more of them coming up**

 **Cinder Luna - I wasn't really expecting it either, if I'm being honest. It was a little crazy, and I'd like to say that it won't get any worse from there but...well, where would be the fun in that? I'm so glad you haven't abandoned it, despite my incredibly bad updating schedule, and hearing that you like the concept and think it's well written is amazing, thank you!**

 **CaedanceElyse - I'm so glad you think so! Personally, I think my writing has improved since I first published this story, and I think the later chapters are definitely improvements. Well, I'd like to think so, anyway. I'm sorry you have to wait so long for each update, but at least it was only one month this time, I guess. As for the book, well, I have a whole heap of drafts and a couple of concepts, but I actually need to find the motivation to finish them, so...we'll see!**

 **Last thing, would any of you be interested in reading some of the drafts that didn't make it? I've lost a lot of them, but I still have a few if you want me to publish them and see where the story could have alternatively gone. But it's completely up to you.**

 **Bye for now,**

 **HV**


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